I was at an event recently where one of the sponsors was planning to record video interviews with some of the attendees, with the intention of putting this online as a nice bit of content to draw people in.
It all seemed pretty innocent enough. But the manager of the venue, part of a national chain, wasn't happy - permission had not been sought for filming.
In explanation the manager told of a previous event where video was shot and put on social media which did not reflect well on the chain. This resulted in a dictat from head office requiring permission to be granted before any filming taking place.
The manager did the best he could to get permission at short notice, but of course, it being an evening event, the relevant board director was not available. So the filming did not go ahead.
The irony of course here was that the event was for PR professionals - here was a event manager trying to protect his employers reputation while surrounded by people who are paid to protect people's reputations!
Anyway, the whole thing just goes to show that some brands are still dominated by fear when it comes to social media.
Of course there is a lesson here for PR professionals that do understand the value of social media - that it pays to get permission in advance for filming.
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