Guilt by association
When a Featured Customer Faces Scandal
The company in your best case study is suddenly in the headlines for a fraud inquiry, a safety recall or a founder’s conduct. Nothing about your product has changed, but every visitor who recognises the name now reads your testimonial in a new light. The urge is either to delete everything at once or to do nothing. Answer five questions to choose something in between that you can defend.
- Separates rumour from established fact
- Weighs prominence against relevance
- Keep, move, pause or retire, with reasons
Decision helper
Weigh the association
Answer for one customer and one story. Reassess if the story moves on.
Your answers stay in your browser.
The problem, solved
Acting fast without making it worse
- Problem 1
Their name is on our homepage today
Visitors arriving from the news may land on your site first. The quote does not need to be gone, but it should not be the first thing they see.
How StoryProof solves it
You choose which approved testimonials each widget shows, so another customer can lead the homepage widget while the rest stays as it was.
- Problem 2
Nobody knows who makes the call
Marketing wants it gone, sales wants it kept, and the quote stays up by default while everyone argues.
How StoryProof solves it
Roles come with every plan, so one owner decides, and a tag such as “under review” tells everyone the quote is paused on purpose.
- Problem 3
We have nothing to replace it with
The case study was so good that nobody asked anyone else in that segment.
How StoryProof solves it
Add other customers in the same segment as contacts and email them a request with your collection link.
- Problem 4
Removing it everywhere looks like panic
Deleting all trace of a long standing customer can itself become the story if someone notices.
How StoryProof solves it
A middle path is to keep it among many on your Wall of Love, a hosted page of approved testimonials, while it leaves the pages that sell.
Common situations and a sensible first move
In StoryProof
Handle it in StoryProof
- 1
Change the lead placement first
In the homepage and ads widgets, swap in another approved customer.
- 2
Tag the decision
Mark the testimonial “under review” or “retired” with the date and the owner’s name.
- 3
Check what lives outside widgets
Case study PDFs, slide decks, social images and partner pages need the same decision applied by hand.
- 4
Ask for a replacement
Send requests to two or three other customers in the same segment.
What happens next: Put a date in the calendar to revisit. Stories resolve, and a customer cleared of an allegation deserves to be restored.
Before you start
What StoryProof cannot judge
What this does not cover, and what to check on your side. Better to know now than after launch.
- 01
It does not watch the news
StoryProof will not alert you when a customer is in the headlines. Someone on your team has to notice.
- 02
No pause switch
There is no separate paused state. You take the testimonial out of widgets and record the reason with a tag.
- 03
Off site material is manual
Anything exported, printed or posted elsewhere is outside StoryProof and must be found and changed by hand.
- 04
Not legal or PR advice
A serious story may need your lawyer or communications adviser. This guide covers the testimonial, not your public response.
FAQ
Questions people ask
Short answers to what usually comes up next.
Should we tell the customer we are removing their testimonial?
For a move or a pause, usually not; it is a placement change. If you retire it and the relationship continues, a short private note explaining that you are refreshing the page is courteous.
Do we need to say anything publicly?
Rarely. A quiet placement change is normally enough. If journalists ask about the link, your communications lead should answer, not the testimonial page.
What if the allegations turn out to be false?
Restore the testimonial where it was, if the customer is still happy for you to use it. That is why pausing is often better than retiring.
Is a logo different from a quote?
A logo shows association without content, so it can carry more of the risk. Apply at least the same decision to logo rows.
Still have a question? Ask the StoryProof team or book a demo.
Decide where every testimonial appears
Choose exactly which testimonials each widget shows and tag every decision. No credit card needed to start.
Last updated 2026-11-12.