presentation- social media disasters
TRANSCRIPT
SOCIAL MEDIA DISASTERS
When society fights back
What is a social media disaster?
A strategy that results in significant negative PR
What is a social media disaster?
Occurs because of the relative novelty of social media
What is a social media disaster?
The biggest benefit of social media is the ability for customers to use social networks to express opinions about products
this can work against the company when the public responds to poorly devised social media tactics the company puts on the market.
What is a social media disaster?
A recent study found that 20% of twitter updates are requests for product info, or responses to brand management
What is a social media disaster?
One of the primary reasons for social media failures is that as marketers move from a traditional platform to a social one, they forget that social media is inherently social.
“because of this fact, the strategic element should be downplayed; think of it as a meeting place for customers rather than a manipulation tool”
DUTCH AIRLINE GROUP: KLM
>an example of effective social media use
>researched the customer using social media rather than forcing communications onto them
DUTCH AIRLINE GROUP: KLM
>not all social media strategies have to be explicitly communicatory!
SOCIAL MEDIA DISASTERS
HONDA GETS CAUGHT ASTROTURFING
1. Honda came out with crosstour vehicle2. Posted photos to facebook for feedback3. All the comments were negative4. The general manager posted positive
comments incognito5. Facebook users found out and backlashed
SOCIAL MEDIA DISASTERS
HONDA GETS CAUGHT ASTROTURFING
SOCIAL MEDIA DISASTERS
LESSONS TO BE LEARNED
manipulation of social media does not hold well with consumers because it appears to undermine their intelligence. Consumers need to be treated transparently; otherwise, powerful cynicism can develop on their behalf that counters marketing strategies.
SOCIAL MEDIA DISASTERS
BELKIN PAYS FOR POSITIVE REVIEW
1. Belkin, a computer company, conducts business on Amazon
2. The company wishes to accentuate its positive reviews
3. A representative of the company paid people to give perfect ratings
4. A third party blog found out about these actions5. A P.R. disaster ensued
SOCIAL MEDIA DISASTERS
BELKIN PAYS FOR POSITIVE REVIEW
SOCIAL MEDIA DISASTERS
LESSONS TO BE LEARNED
social media is a transparent medium. Because of its inherent openness, it is difficult to get away with deceitfulness. Perhaps more importantly, the honesty behind social media can be used to an even greater advantage; consumer feedback. Rather than trying to quench poor feedback, use complaints to improve products or other business practices to create a sustainable competitive advantage.
SOCIAL MEDIA DISASTERS
ASUS CONTEST MELTDOWN
1. To generate buzz, the computer firm Asus held a contest
2. Bloggers were given out kits of products to review
3. The online community voted for their favourite blog, and the winner was allowed to keep the products as a prize
4. For some reason, Asus did not approve of the voted-in winner
5. The night before the contest, Asus changed the rules to allow them to pick any contestant as a winner
6. Uproar ensued
SOCIAL MEDIA DISASTERS
LESSONS TO BE LEARNED
because social media is so novel, the temptation may exist to undermine its seriousness as a marketing platform. It is important to realize that social media is not a toy, and unethical behavior can have serious repercussions.
TOP REASONS FOR DISASTERS
1. IMPROPER CHANNEL SELECTION
choose your social media channels by finding where the customers who want to talk about your company are talking. If they are NOT talking about your company anywhere, then you need to find common topics that a given community is interested in.
TOP REASONS FOR DISASTERS
2. POOR SOCIAL MEDIA DEPARTMENT
It is necessary to choose people with not only social media experience, but thorough marketing experience as well
TOP REASONS FOR DISASTERS
3. POOR CONTENT
People enjoy social media because it fills a social need, and people relate socialization to entertainment and relaxation. Fill your strategy’s with original content that is entertaining and has plenty of hooks.
TOP REASONS FOR DISASTERS
4. POOR EXECUTION
Technological aspects of social media are just as important as theoretical ones. No matter how convoluted your strategic plan is, a server crash will render all of your knowledge capital useless. Do technological tests before you bring your platform to the market.
SOCIAL MEDIA DISASTERS
Don’t be caught in a
landslide!