Chick-fil-A on the Hot Seat: Social media cuts both ways

One of the characteristics of social media is that news stories can go viral in a day. If the conditions are right, people forward the story to their friends via Facebook, who forward to their friends, and so on and so on.

Recent examples include NPR’s erroneous report that Arizona Congresswoman Giffords had died (http://bit.ly/igTitQ) the Taco Bell “Where’s the beef?” story about the meat content of tacos (http://bit.ly/fakI9W), and now charges that Chick-fil-A is anti-gay (http://bit.ly/gn196z).

Viral stories — accurate or not — take flight with breathtaking speed. But as frustrating as that is for the organizations involved, viral cuts both ways. In the case of all three stories, the organizations involved responded right away.

NPR apologized. Taco Bell came clean. And Chick-fil-A’s COO Dan Cathy appeared in a homemade video to explain his company’s faith-based philosophy and how they love and embrace everyone.

He was quoted and his video referenced in many of the subsequent stories about the anti-gay flap, which caused by a Chick-fil-A operator in Pennsylvania who donated sandwiches to a local group known for its anti-gay sentiments. I doubt home office was notified.

Dan’s video won’t solve the issue for Chick-fil-A, but at least he got out in front of it. Many PR agencies will recount stories of frustration where their clients, guided by their legal counsel, insisted on keeping quiet, hoping the story would die a natural death.

In this era of viral news, silence is deadly. The only course is to be truthful, transparent and timely.

What about Chick-fil-A? Well, it’s a great company. I’ve done work with them now and again over the years and have had Dan on my television program several times. I can tell you we’d be better off if more companies had Chick-fil-A’s ethics and values.

While every Chick-fil-A operator (not “franchisee” — operators never own their stores) is independent, they share a cultural bond. It’s not a requirement, but it’s fair to say most all of them are religious. Husbands and wives operate many of the stores. Corporate expects that they’ll grow their businesses by being involved with the community.

Some probably are close-minded about gays, and there’s no excuse if that seeps into their business practices. I suspect some of McDonald’s and Burger King’s franchisees are close-minded, too, though the connection between those corporations and their franchises is based more purely on personal net worth.

What I know about Chick-fil-A is that the company isn’t anti-gay. It’s oriented toward quality food (all name brands even the generics would probably generate more profit), a focus on customer service not found in other fast food restaurants (those are real flowers at your table and yes, employees come over and take your plate when you’re done), involvement in community schools and churches, and a commitment to God.

Does its faith-based culture make Chick-fil-A anti-gay? Watch Dan’s video (http://bit.ly/eLEqlq) and decide for yourself.

The moral? Viral stories take flight on a moment’s notice and companies must respond quickly and honestly, as Dan did with that video. Management’s instinct may be to duck below the firing line and hope the story goes away. But responding quickly doesn’t prolong the story. It’ll help dissipate it.