A real-time world is like a small town

        This portion of Measure What Matters taught me a few things, but the biggest lesson was that in a crisis, the real-time world can be a lot like a small town. Paine discusses how important it is to build a strong relationship with your publics because they can defend you in times of crisis. Her example for this were SeaWorld fans around the time of PETA's campaign to free orcas living in captivity. If you don't remember the campaign, I'll leave you to research it on your own before you continue to read this post (and check out, more recently, PETA buying stock in SeaWorld.)
        The point Paine aimed to make was SeaWorld's supporters defended them in the face of an attack by PETA. Building a supportive community like that should be the goal of any brand. Because when you are good to your consumers, they will be good to you.
         In a real-time world a crisis can get out of control quickly if you don't have a loyal public and an action plan ready to go. To me, this is similar to small town U. S. A. By that I mean, if you haven't been good to your neighbors, they will be the first to turn their backs on you in a time of need. But if you maintain good relationships, your community will be there to support you. That should be the goal of your brand. Because in a real-time world news travels fast and your consumers will be there to defend you or abandon you whether you like it or not.