Holy crap…you want to see Twitter explode in negative feedback? Try making a Tweet like this…
@JustineSacco 10:19am from Hillingdon, London
OK…so this is an ignorant piece of work that no one should give the time of day to and should just be ignored right? Maybe, maybe not…let’s look closer.
Head of CorpComms at IAC??? WTH
OK…so she is a professional communicator for IAC, InterActiveCorp. Google also has her listed as the head of PR for IAC. Well, since she is the head of PR, I will assume that she has an awesome plan in place for this type of instant crisis communications that she has just created.
Google also has all the latest and greatest blog posts that have gotten all fired up in the 7 hours since the faux pas. Click here for the highlights
So, lets consider this for a minute before we jump to conclusions.
- Did she actually tweet this?
- Why would she tweet this?
- What will become of her job?
- What will become of her?
I don’t know why anyone in her position would even think this would be funny. Perhaps she has a quiet account that she expresses herself with and this was a “Down the wrong pipe” tweet.
I took a close look at her account and this isn’t the first tweet that I would consider in bad taste or reprehensible for someone in her position. London, England; The President; Miley Cyrus, her landlord and Rob Ford, never mind that last one…all the others should be offended as well.
So here is my question. Is this actually the real account of Justine Sacco? Maybe I’m naive, but I’m going to lean towards…NO. I may be way out in left field on this one, but I think this maybe more of a spoof account that has it in for her.
Which leads me to a bigger question. If this isn’t her account, why in God’s name (sorry A&E) does she not have a rein on what’s going on with her name?
She is a PR pro, communications pro, company rep…she should have alerts out the ying-yang set up to protect her from this type of thing..or at least be aware of them and have some sort of disclaimer in place, perhaps on her corporate profile what her official accounts are. It is that big of a deal!
I called her phone number at IAC and her cell number. No answer on either and her mail box is full on her cell (no big surprise there.) I want to know what the deal is.
We may not know for a while (at least until she lands in Africa and she finds herself out of a job), but for now we have to wait. According to IAC; (via International Business Times)
“This is an outrageous, offensive comment that does not reflect the views and values of IAC. Unfortunately, the employee in question is unreachable on an international flight, but this is a very serious matter and we are taking appropriate action.”
I can’t wait to see where this one ends up.
Takeaways:
- Don’t do anything stupid
- Be very aware of everything about you
- Keep an open mind until you have all the facts
- Don’t rush to judgement
Stay tuned to this one!
UPDATE: 10:50pm Eastern Time:
I can’t say anything more than what Peter Shankman just did…perfect!
Well said!
UPDATE: 7:00am Eastern Time
I think I was completely off base in my hopes that Justine was a victim. There may be some evidence now that indeed she may be the brainless moron that her Tweets identify her as…
Justine Sacco doesn’t exist
According to Deadline Hollywood… Justine has been removed from the corporate information of IAC as well.
Why do I think all of this is such a big deal? Well that’s pretty obvious, the same reason(s) why everyone else doe, but there is more here. Why should every CEO be concerned about this type of thing happening…just use this time line…
Down 2%
Excellent post, Tim. One quibble: You meant “rein” not “reign” in this phrase: “does she not have a reign on what’s going on with her name”. (The last thing she deserves is a reign!)
Thanks Russ and you are quite right.
Reblogged this on Russ Skinner's Blog and commented:
Today in social media: Hard to disagree with Tim Burrows’ (@T_Burrows) take here, and let’s hope that this doesn’t represent the views of a public relations professional.
Boy you peaked my interest Tim! Will be interesting to see how this unfolds. Despite her seemingly having a history of controversial tweets, I am like you. There must be more to this. People just don’t commit jobocide. Especially when representing others brands. I have to err on being skeptical.
And while I am at it, Merry Christmas to you and your family. Always appreciate your thoughtful and thought-provoking blogs and tweets.
Wow, you sure peaked my interest. I see she has been quite controversial in her tweets but am still skeptical. Why would one commit jobocide?
On another note, Tim – Wishing you and your family all the best over the holiday season. Thank-you for doing what you do. Appreciate the thoughtful and thought-provoking blogs / tweets. You do this profession very proud!
Thank you so much Tim, and from this Tim’s family to yours, all the best that this Christmas season has to offer.
Pingback: After the Sacco storm, the calm. | Walking the Social Media Beat