Reputation Changer: Romney Campaign Hit With Google Disaster

NEW YORK, Oct. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- When a leaked video revealed Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney's now-legendary "47 percent" remarks, it shocked the political establishment, and immediately sent his campaign into a state of tumult. Though Governor Romney has since pulled out of his campaign nosedive, largely on the back of a strong first debate performance against President Obama, his initial attempts to right the wrongs of his "47 percent" remarks may have done more harm than good. The Governor ultimately ended up characterizing his comments as "completely wrong," an admission of wrongdoing that has led to a new kind of PR problem for his campaign. According to Fox News, a Google Images search for the query "completely wrong" yields endless pages of photos of Governor Romney—a negative association that has earned the attention of Reputation Changer.

Reputation Changer, a leading online reputation management firm, has issued a new statement to the press, weighing in on Romney's Google problem and saying that the GOP candidate needs a reputation management consultant—and desperately. "This is hardly the first time a candidate for the presidency has been bitten by a Google problem of this magnitude," comments the company's CEO, Cliff Stein, before going on to reference the infamous search engine issues of Rick Santorum. Santorum, Romney's former rival for the GOP nomination, was long saddled with Google search results that displayed vulgar definitions for his own last name.

Stein says that, for Romney, this current Google problem is a genuine crisis—and one his campaign desperately needs to address. "These days, people get their information from the Internet," he affirms. "Not everyone has the time or the interest in watching televised debates and news conferences, but we have all got our smartphones handy, we all know how to use Google, and we all know that search engines provide an ideal way for obtaining information about political candidates. Sadly, for Governor Romney, Google has effectively reduced him to a joke."

Fox News makes clear that Romney's current Google problem is not the result of malice or of political attack; rather, it is the "natural" result of Google's algorithm.

"By all accounts, these embarrassing Google listings are not the result of some kind of shady political maneuvering, nor is the Google search engine somehow broken," offers Stein. "The search engine is doing what it is supposed to do—and, sadly, search engine users and content publishers have come to associate the words 'completely wrong' with the Romney campaign. That is obviously not the kind of association his campaign needs, particularly not with the election coming right down to the wire."

Stein says that something as seemingly peripheral as a Google Images problem could be make-or-break for Romney's political aspirations—but he also says that there are measures the campaign can take to repair and defend the nominee's online reputation. "Online reputation management services were made with cases like this one in mind," he explains. "What a company like Reputation Changer does is seek to provide clients with control over the way they are presented online, ultimately empowering them to present themselves as respectable and desirable among search engine users. That is exactly what the Romney camp needs right now."

An online reputation management company like Reputation Changer is uniquely equipped for handling dilemmas like Romney's, which stems not from malice or online attack but from the organic functions of Google's algorithms. The company takes pride in working in full compliance with Google, avoiding disreputable tactics as it seeks to provide clients with cleaner, more positive online search profiles.

"What the Romney campaign needs is to better harness the power of Google to remind people of his strengths and his virtues as a candidate, and as a potential President," concludes Cliff Stein. "Right now, Google is reminding search engine users of all the wrong things. The Romney crew desperately needs to enlist the services of an online reputation management company, to put this Google problem to rest."

ABOUT:

Reputation Changer is a company widely praised as the world's leading reputation defense firm. Founded in 2009, the company is passionate for providing clients with a say in how they are presented online. Reputation Changer's team is comprised of account executives, content writers, SEO technicians, and social media masterminds; the company's client base, meanwhile, includes Fortune 500 companies, small businesses, and individuals. Reputation Changer has also worked with many politicians and public office seekers.

SOURCE Reputation Changer LLC