Gamu Nhengu

If you haven’t heard of Gamu Nhengu, you’ve either been out of the country, your TV is broken, or you don’t buy newspapers.

The story of the eliminated X Factor contestant has been everywhere – even making it into one of the major showbiz blogs in the US.

If you subscribe to the theory that there’s no such thing as bad publicity, then Simon Cowell is playing a blinder. But there’s evidence that his brand is being badly damaged by the current controversy, which – like many major news stories these days – started on the social networking sites. One of your judges – Cheryl Cole – receiving death threats is not a happy state of affairs. A campaign on Facebook to have Gamu reinstated gathered more than 220,000 supporters in a matter of days. Some of the comments have now become racist and nasty, adding further tarnish to the whole sorry affair. Her audition for the show  is also one of the most popular clips on YouTube, with nearly 3 million views.

The effect, of course, has been to magnify an issue that has always been in the background – is the show fixed? My view, for what it’s worth, is that there will be further controversy ahead – something, perhaps, like last year’s battle for the Christmas No 1, which Simon Cowell lost thanks to a Facebook campaign.

The big lesson here is that the social media have changed the rules of the game forever. gem can help you manage the implications for your public image, whatever your business happens to be.

While in office, Dubya didn’t bother as much with online channels of communication as his successor, Barack Obama (check out his four million followers on Twitter). But he may have realised that if you want to promote an important cause like the Clinton/Bush Haiti Fund, (or even your wife’s book) then you need to choose the channel that gives you the most exposure.

It’s an implicit recognition that whether you happen to be in a charity, business or politics, the power now lies with the customer. He or she chooses the preferred method of communication.

As if to underline the point, BP has been fighting a rearguard action on the social media to answer its critics over the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Check out the critics’ spoof BP account and the company’s response. The firm says it’s more interested in capping the leak than in online outreach. Maybe it’ll give it a higher priority as time – and the wave of social media coverage – goes on.

Incidentally, within hours of George W signing up to Facebook, he was facing criticism for getting someone else to write his posts.

The lesson: unless you’re part of the conversation, other people’s voices and views carry the day. Want to be part of it? Then why not start by chatting to us at gem?