The importance of civility for brand reputation in 2020

With snark and vitriol reaching historic levels in online discourse, brands and PR agencies should consider level-setting for basic civility and decorum in their messages.

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Brands on Twitter have long made a name for themselves with witty repartee and taking the fight to their competition.

Fast food brands like Wendy’s have received accolades for their cheeky, sometimes vicious attacks on rival restaurant chains that matched the tenor of conversation on the social media platform. However, social media managers know all too well the draining nature of dealing with an overwhelmingly negative atmosphere online.

COVID-19 has further eroded the patience audiences have for the Twitter wars, and consumers in 2021 might be looking to reward companies that can help bring back a level of civility to public discourse. That’s the big takeaway from a recent study from Brodeur, according to CEO Andrea Coville.

(Image via Brodeur)

Civility is viewed differently by different demographics, Coville explains, breaking responses across common generational groupings like Gen X, millennial and Gen Z.

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