The rise of viral news is causing new headaches for big business.
The company who brought us some of the most innovative and sexy handsets, recently felt obliged to respond to accusations that they were using what appears to be an image of a penis in the clock face of some of the Motorola handsets. Maybe it was meant to be a subliminal thing that got out of hand...
Motorala responded, "The image that you see is actually the result of shading applied to the clock background graphic to give it more of a three-dimensional appearance, in line with the theme of the phone. The graphic is actually built as concentric circles stacked on top of each other, with a lighting filter applied to give it depth.
"Unfortunately, the result is something that has some readers questioning what they see, and Motorola apologizes for any perception of impropriety as it was certainly not our intent at all. The graphic is only in a few models of our phones with certain software builds installed.
"We're already taking steps to ensure that the clock face graphic in question will not appear in any future products. If someone wants to remove the graphic from their view, they can either select Menu -> Settings / Personalize / Home Screen / Clock / Digital, or Options/Customize Home/Clock Style/Digital, depending on their phone model."
Viral Impact on PR
Motorola Responds About Using Penis-Like Imagery on Phones
Trend Themes
1. Viral News Impact - Opportunity for businesses to proactively monitor and respond to viral news that may have negative implications for their brand image.
2. Subliminal Messaging - Companies should be cautious with design choices to avoid inadvertently incorporating controversial or offensive imagery into their products.
3. Transparency and Apology - Brands should prioritize open communication and swift apologies when faced with public perception issues.
Industry Implications
1. Mobile Phone Manufacturing - Companies can benefit from implementing rigorous design and quality control processes to avoid potential controversies.
2. Public Relations - PR agencies have an opportunity to provide crisis management services to help companies navigate viral news-related challenges.
3. Digital Marketing - Marketers can leverage the power of social media to monitor and address viral news incidents that could impact brand reputation.