STUDY: Employees May Be the Best Brand Advocates

See, stock photos never lie

Who can best defend a brand’s reputation on social? According to a newly published Weber Shandwick study, the answer may come from within.

The study, conducted in collaboration with KRC Research (full PDF here), concerns trends in “employee activism”, or the ability of those within an organization to become its most prominent defenders.

An online survey of 2,300 employees in 15 different markets around the world found that:

• 50% of respondents have shared something relating to their employers on social
• 33% of the sample did so on their own without encouragement from their bosses

And yet:

• Only 39% say they’ve shared “praise or positive comments”
• 14% have shared something they now regret

The root of the problem lies in a lack of both job security and effective communications from the top down.