Why silence isn’t key to managing PropertyLimBrothers' alleged scandal

PropertyLimBrothers, a Singapore-based real estate media and services company, has become the latest cautionary tale of how reputational crises can spiral in the digital age. The controversy began after allegations of a workplace affair involving two senior executives - its co-founder and vice president of strategy - went viral on forums and social media.

Rather than addressing the situation publicly, the company has taken subtle digital steps where the executives’ profiles were quietly removed from its website, and posts featuring them have been deleted. At the point of writing, no public statement has been released. However, an unverified internal memo is circulating which was picked up by members of the media, which allegedly detailed that the two executives will be stepping down from the roles. 

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to PropertyLimBrothers for a statement. 

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To many observers in the communications industry, the steps taken by the company hardly work to contain the news making its rounds on closed groups. Nicholas Fang, managing director at communications agency Black Dot, calls the approach “issue avoidance” - a strategy he says is outdated in today’s communications landscape.

“Any information vacuum is typically filled with rumours and speculation, especially when it comes to a salacious event such as extra-marital affairs played out between colleagues," he said. "As it allegedly involved senior leaders of the company, there is a level of responsibility to make its position known publicly, in order to address concerns of stakeholders.”

Adding to his point is Jamie Tan, principal consultant, Archetype Singapore who said that in a social-first environment, situations escalate very quickly. "Public opinion often takes shape before companies have had the chance to fully work through the facts internally. How an organisation shows up in that early window can significantly shape perception, and response timing is one of the few things it can still control," stated Tan.

PropertyLimBrothers’ subtle digital edits such as quietly removing executive profiles and deleting posts also carry risk, said industry players. Any attempt to wipe online presence typically fuels more excitement and interest in the issue. Jose Raymond, managing director at SW Strategies explained that "silence only empowers the audience and the public to infer and assign their own meaning to every video, every screenshot and every comment", which essentially means that the narrative is lost. 

Raymond points out that the company may have begun to act internally such as informing stakeholders and editing online content quietly, but asserts that the public, who he calls the most important set of stakeholders, are still in the dark. "It is high time that PropertyLimBrothers recognises that remaining silent will only feed the online frenzy". He added:

For a company which relied on integrity as a core principle, it does not appear to be taking the same approach in explaining themselves when it fell short of its own standards.

Echoing his point is Meilin Wong, CEO and partner at Milk & Honey PR who said silence can be strategic when it's brief and clearly deliberate. However, when it drags on, "it starts to look like you're either hoping it blows over, or you don't have control of the situation. In a trust-based business, that's not a great look."

To Wong, the quiet removal of leadership and posts are actually loud signals that the company has judged the situation as serious. However, without communicating how it plans to address the situation, the company leaves room for speculation. "It doesn’t distance the brand from the issue. It simply confirms the issue is big enough to trigger action, without giving the public the reassurance they’re looking for."

As such, a brief acknowledgement that the situation is being reviewed, can go a long way in signalling responsibility, said Tan. "While companies don’t control the narrative, what they can control is how accountable, engaged and values-led they come across. Extended silence, especially when senior leaders are part of the conversation, tends to invite speculation rather than restraint. Being visible early can matter as much as what is eventually said."

Communicating with integrity

All four experts warn that attempts to quietly remove content may backfire. Fang notes that unless there is a guarantee that any and all traces can be removed, online content could still be discoverable. Raymond adds that internet sleuths are already combing through the digital footprints of the executives and the company, meaning “the same people who are trying to break the brand are the ones who smell blood, and will head all guns blazing aiming for the kill.”

Moving forward, PropertyLimBrothers has to be transparent and communicative of its next moves. This looks like sharing clearly with the public what happened and what next steps are being taken to allay the concerns of the people behind the online expose, said Raymond. 

Fang emphasises that a company such as PropertyLimBrothers, which markets itself as a real estate company 'with integrity', faces particular pressure. "There is a real risk that keeping silent will have negative implications for its trustworthiness and credibility among existing and potential clients," he said.

"Companies have a duty to their customers when such incidents occur to show that they do not tolerate anything that could impact their integrity and professionalism, and that they are taking steps to ensure that there will be no impact to their ability to service their clients,” Fang added. 

Wong suggests that the company needs to stop scrubbing further proof and start communicating clearly and deliberately on the future of the business with its co-founder. She adds that shifting and controlling the narrative back to the business could benefit PropertyLimBrothers too. This is especially since potential clients may start looking at alternatives.

"Competitors are absolutely watching this unfold, and some will use the moment to position themselves as the more stable, transparent, reliable option," she said, adding that:

PropertyLimBrothers really need work quickly to restore its credibility and trust in their business - through clarity and direction, not silence and certainly not digital erasure.

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