Crises on social networks and professional federations: what are the mistakes and what are the recommendations?

Lessons learnt

The low number of cases is mainly due to the fact that the federations publish very little and have a relatively small, very sector-based and professional audience.

This means thatmost communication messages are fairly consensual . It's also unlikely that there will be any major missteps that would attract massive public attention.

Insofar as professional federations often have to work to raise awareness among the general public of the issues affecting their professions, sectors and so on, it is quite logical that most of the cases are campaign cases.

In these cases, ideological opponents come forward and try to take advantage of the momentum of visibility to assert an opposing thesis. Only one example (that of the Collège national des gynécologues et obstétriciens de France with the distribution of a misogynist slide) does not fall into this category.

Ultimately, we shouldn't be afraid of digital crises as a federation, as the phenomenon remains extremely rare. What's more, most of the cases were also explicit attempts to stimulate debate around a theme or message. In this case, the crisis acts as an additional visibility factor for the issue thanks to the audience and media coverage of the controversy.

Review of cases

In October 2014, the Ethic movement sparked jokes with a campaign on social networks featuring masochistic visuals and the slogan "No! I'm not masochistic... I love my company and I take responsibility!

The President at the time told Atlantico that she had no regrets:

"No, I don't regret this poster, which gives us the opportunity to explain ourselves and to get people talking about the Fête des Entreprises! In advertising, we know that campaigns are sometimes 'shocking' in order to appeal, and that was the objective. Nobody should feel targeted or offended by this caricature.
From the outset we had planned an 'official' poster. Our 'mistress woman' only appeared in STYLIST magazine, which is aimed at women who see fashion and things in the second degree, with a certain humour... the domineering woman depicted in this ad is not the exploited, victimised woman we are systematically 'sold' as, and so much the better...".

In August 2015, the #ViandeDeFrance campaign run by the French Meat Association was launched using a hashtag. This hashtag with its promotional messages was "hijacked" (used for another purpose) by Vegan associations to denounce meat.

In September 2017, the MEDEF launched a campaign on training with a provocative slogan: "If school did its job, I'd have a job". This phrase provoked indignant reactions, particularly from teachers, who considered it an insult. The French Education Minister called for the immediate withdrawal of the slogan, as did former Socialist ministers and the Socialist Party. The MEDEF initially accepted the provocation, claiming that the slogan was intended to draw attention to the dysfunctions of the French education system. However, it eventually apologised, withdrawing the slogan and stating that it was not intended to criticise teachers.

Finally, in December 2018, during a meeting of the Collège national des gynécologues et obstétriciens de France, a slide presented at a medical congress, containing a sentence from a historical novel likening women to mares, caused an outcry on social networks. The president of the college of gynaecologists apologised, describing the slide as inappropriate. He added: "All the texts are reread, but the slides - there are nearly 15,000 of them - are left to the discretion of the speakers", explained Israël Nisand on Europe 1." The reaction on social networks was strong, with the hashtag #jenesuispas pasunejument.