The consumer, tickled by the stimulus to purchase, has what has been coined by Procter & Gamble as the first moment of truth when they come into contact with the seller of their desire. The consumer then purchases the product, and experiences it – the second moment of truth. But with the rising use of the internet, consumers are beginning a trend where they decide on their purchase before even encountering the seller or the product. A strange phenomenon to be sure and the question one need to as is how this is possible. Simple; the ZERO moment of truth. It goes something like this: A need arises; the consumer merely searches for the fulfilment on the internet, and through copious amounts of referrals and links, through cyber persuasion, decides even before an encounter with the product to purchase to fulfil that need. The secret to success in this world of online interaction is to win the ZMOT, if you win the ZMOT, you win the sale.

The online space may be daunting for many communication professionals today, but this fourth dimension has the power to build a great reputation. The question, however, that communicators need to ask is how to get people to like you. The activities of the online community can be summarised in three words: creating, sharing, and talking, and from this, PR has undergone a shift, a shift back to the public, where brands are talking to consumers and consumers are talking about brands. PR moves to a place of engagement again. For organisations wishing to delve into the online space, it is not necessary to overcomplicate it, communication remains communication. But be warned, joining the online battlefield without a plan will result in disaster. The first thing to do is to listen, and there are several tools that can be used to listen, to seek what are talking about, and how it is relevant to your brand; this is the most important stage in the whole concept. The power of the online world is that there are communities, large communities, and in these numbers, they have power. So, instead of trying to create a community around your brand, attach yourself to an already existing community, find your fans and get them to talk about YOU.

Remember though, in the world of the communicator, content is king. Add value to your “boring brand” through valuable content. In today’s society, everybody wants a voice, if you give them a soapbox to stand on and an opportunity fulfil that desire, you will become popular, powerful, and profitable.

Nigeria LNG delivers 10% of the world’s LNG requirements and is jointly owned by NNPC, NNI, Shell and Agip. The company knew that they had to find a manner in which to give back to the community. Nigeria LNG became the sponsor of a Nigerian literature competition as one of their main corporate social responsibility programmes. However in 2009, 160 entries were received, a short list of 9 entries was made but judges could not decide on a winner. This resulted in bad media coverage that quickly spiralled out of control. NLNG met with stakeholders and ran articles that targeted all involved stakeholders and finally the negative media coverage was managed within 3 months without boycotting the competition.

The focus of the crisis management was always on stemming the flow of negative press, securing the loyalty of Nigerian writers, affirming the integrity of the prize and reinforcing the commitment of the Nigeria LNG toward excellence and community upliftment. The decision was made to donate the prize money to the partner of the Nigeria LNG in the programme, the Nigerian Academy of Letters. Finally the crisis was handled without any hindrance to local, regional or international business. By staying true to the core values of Nigeria LNG and having a specific message in the CSR programme as well as the crisis managed, the crisis was swung around to once again positioning Nigeria LNG as a company that is committed to integrity and excellence in the minds of the Nigerian people.