A Look At, And Analysis Of, Some Serious Social Media Screw-ups.

<script type="text/javascript" src="http://w.sharethis.com/button/sharethis.js#publisher=0d650ffe-1ec7-4395-883b-24e806d21a65&type=website"></script><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMl1-SfJA4lMpOv172N_DoWlAl-qC8gKfcT-Vp_bkKrGUOoiwcQyTFHe2ocoyHaj_wsfc_0cBqkn1pURnkV3-UuwxPu3RogvZMjwEZLjPoxDkSJad39EHTKviRyjtty4PnrG2w6D-1hX6j/s1600/companychart.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525739009061211538" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMl1-SfJA4lMpOv172N_DoWlAl-qC8gKfcT-Vp_bkKrGUOoiwcQyTFHe2ocoyHaj_wsfc_0cBqkn1pURnkV3-UuwxPu3RogvZMjwEZLjPoxDkSJad39EHTKviRyjtty4PnrG2w6D-1hX6j/s400/companychart.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; width: 523px; height: 324px;" /></a><br /><br />Social media most undoubtedly has its benefits and its drawbacks. Especially since brands and marketers are still experimenting with the concept.<br /><br />I've reprinted an article and analysis from <a href="http://www.bernhardwarner.com">Bernhard Warner</a> with a slide share presentation from <a href="http://socialmediainfluence.com/">Social Media Influence</a>'s editorial and social media training partner, <a href="http://customcommunication.co.uk/">Custom Communication</a>, who has gone back through six years of social media and compiled a visual narrative of company misadventures with bloggers, tweeters and other social media voices. [Still images added by me].<br /><br />Since 2004 they’ve identified 37 notable instances where companies have been caught short by social media protests and complaints or where they’ve shot themselves in the foot with dumb marketing.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A snapshot of the history:</span><br />Given the explosion in social media participation it’s not surprising to see a steady year-on-year increase in social media screw ups but while 2006 saw 7 major incidents the 10 recorded so far this year suggests that corporate communicators and marketers are becoming more savvy in how they engage and look after their online reputation.<br /><br />The numbers are trending nicely for social media. As the <a href="http://www.iabuk.net/en/1/ukonlineadspendrises10percent051010.mxs">IAB UK points out</a> this week, the surprising surge in online advertising through the first half of 2010 can be attributed in part to more money pouring into social media marketing. There’s another social media figure on the rise, and it’s not quite so inspiring.<br /><br />According to the new piece of research by Custom Communication, “Social Media Screw Ups – A Short History,” along with the surge in social media investment comes a surge in social media screw-ups by major corporations using these channels to reach the public. 2010 is on pace to see more reputation-bruising social media gaffes than in any previous year. Haven’t they learned anything from the Kryptonite lock fiasco of 2004? Apparently not.<br /><br /><div style="width: 530px;" id="__ss_5361415"><strong style="display: block; margin: 12px 0pt 4px;"><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/socialmediainfluence/social-media-screw-ups" title="Social media Screw Ups - A History">Social media Screw Ups - A History</a></strong><object height="420" id="__sse5361415" width="530"><param name="movie" value="http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=socialmediascrewups-101005070711-phpapp01&stripped_title=social-media-screw-ups&userName=socialmediainfluence"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed name="__sse5361415" src="http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=socialmediascrewups-101005070711-phpapp01&stripped_title=social-media-screw-ups&userName=socialmediainfluence" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="420" width="530"></embed></object></div><br />In reviewing the findings, it’s become clear: many of the mistakes are being repeated time and again. We list here the most oft-repeated missteps and misconceptions that lead to trouble.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD5hoOaacLVJ9jCDBMiiR1B4_hoPZxKyH7E-Qp8C-nQrX__BQ3aa2dg50QhPtdWI8RKFKAIZaAdn9dxua22nLQ-yg0shI7WcYczA9aoDU-DYBs32WkV2lQ3aNYhhrdRXDKAZvuz_IH7yHw/s1600/kryptonite+lock+broken+with+pen.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525755178848472642" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD5hoOaacLVJ9jCDBMiiR1B4_hoPZxKyH7E-Qp8C-nQrX__BQ3aa2dg50QhPtdWI8RKFKAIZaAdn9dxua22nLQ-yg0shI7WcYczA9aoDU-DYBs32WkV2lQ3aNYhhrdRXDKAZvuz_IH7yHw/s400/kryptonite+lock+broken+with+pen.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; width: 446px; height: 594px;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">above: kryptonite lock could be broken with a pen, image courtesy of <a href="http://www.wired.com/">wired.com</a></span></span><br /><br />* <span style="font-weight: bold;">Underestimating influence/impact of your social media critics.</span> Kryptonite is the business school case study here, but loads of brands since – from Target telling the blogosphere they don’t rate to Nestle telling off eco Facebook protesters – have failed to understand that bloggers/Tweeters and Facebook protesters may not be The Guardian or New York Times, but they do hold plenty of weight.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYZpJATPEopvXA7557WboXlGP4Sb6TqDD6LpF8i-T6NSeGpbgSh9PY9x63dx4BWSpaoDDouGV-Wtg2TETfdbX6ex3CgncyJ6URTHUXUPM84i-zwtOe8dbDHmXwYUnqCfmf3lnv_meQkdFW/s1600/penelopecruzfalseeyelashes.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525759939659076642" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYZpJATPEopvXA7557WboXlGP4Sb6TqDD6LpF8i-T6NSeGpbgSh9PY9x63dx4BWSpaoDDouGV-Wtg2TETfdbX6ex3CgncyJ6URTHUXUPM84i-zwtOe8dbDHmXwYUnqCfmf3lnv_meQkdFW/s400/penelopecruzfalseeyelashes.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; width: 454px; height: 333px;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">above: bloggers bitch-slapped L'oreal for using false eyelashes on Penelope Cruz to sell mascara, image from<a href="http://www.loreal.com"> L'oreal</a></span></span><br /><br />* <span style="font-weight: bold;">Giving the online community flashy marketing message when they just want simple, straightforward detail.</span> These days, companies can get into big trouble for issuing fictitious glowing reviews or trotting out seemingly genuine testimonials by paid actors. Even before these consumer protections were put into place, L’Oreal paid a higher price – it got burned by vigilant bloggers.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTit1Us7mJodRquvaWAGA8rgqhazcr91OdeC7igQo5WRQ-21K8OIsjnkBKQ04VxudWKL56pX2PVZ-J0loZ6p0OL4y1wHXXr5XhVyp4SVT4VXBGdqDFr7duwpTs5UYqy-0GP11dB-kODv0J/s1600/DEll_jeff_jarvis.gif"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525754379291418002" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTit1Us7mJodRquvaWAGA8rgqhazcr91OdeC7igQo5WRQ-21K8OIsjnkBKQ04VxudWKL56pX2PVZ-J0loZ6p0OL4y1wHXXr5XhVyp4SVT4VXBGdqDFr7duwpTs5UYqy-0GP11dB-kODv0J/s400/DEll_jeff_jarvis.gif" style="cursor: pointer; width: 453px; height: 253px;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">above: Dell Hell, courtesy of <a href="http://www.blaugh.com/">blaugh.com</a></span></span><br /><br />* <span style="font-weight: bold;">Culture of unresponsive/uncaring customer service fuels recurring gripes, becomes PR headache.</span> Dell learned the hard way that Jeff Jarvis’ customer service gripes were not an isolated issue; a massive backlash was brewing. It just took one well-connected critic to put his finger on it and the avalanche ensued.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3mkaRiDmNsM6ZwGLzNp8cr8QlZFeEwxRTSdbnqL6AF3EF2CiG_YhMhL_wM0s54HsSiqY0t1h-zOioVFhtGmTpOCDH0Zics_pDNSwQnTw4RhrTfbFpnkDbdMbI5GIlg0gvs6d5_eBuPC0w/s1600/Mentos-Diet-Coke.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525745490442082642" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3mkaRiDmNsM6ZwGLzNp8cr8QlZFeEwxRTSdbnqL6AF3EF2CiG_YhMhL_wM0s54HsSiqY0t1h-zOioVFhtGmTpOCDH0Zics_pDNSwQnTw4RhrTfbFpnkDbdMbI5GIlg0gvs6d5_eBuPC0w/s400/Mentos-Diet-Coke.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; width: 454px; height: 454px;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">above: the Diet Coke and Mentos experiments could not be hushed, image from <a href="http://reputationonline.co.uk/">reputation online</a></span></span><br /><br />* <span style="font-weight: bold;">Failing to understand the Coke credo: “our consumers control our brand.”</span> Coca-Cola tried to stifle conversation around the combustible combo of Diet Coke + Mentos. Later, it would acknowledge, you cannot hope to muzzle what everyone is talking about.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQpurUoa4hLt7bBjQ8LrSskY8ljAY-dbB25ZknEJRJMmyrwcDzYe0qsGZKYzerGwGoyBFOG2PZc3YXvFQl4W9vszSA-SRxEyZH2M7CHMCqqDq-pdegbcE_6Q8sJmDAI7xcUbMI7oxfig9h/s1600/chevy+tahoe+crowdsource.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525749248823255570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQpurUoa4hLt7bBjQ8LrSskY8ljAY-dbB25ZknEJRJMmyrwcDzYe0qsGZKYzerGwGoyBFOG2PZc3YXvFQl4W9vszSA-SRxEyZH2M7CHMCqqDq-pdegbcE_6Q8sJmDAI7xcUbMI7oxfig9h/s400/chevy+tahoe+crowdsource.png" style="cursor: pointer; width: 463px; height: 449px;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">above: the Chevy Tahoe commercial competition, image from <a href="http://www.chevy.com">Chevy.com</a></span></span><br /><br />* <span style="font-weight: bold;">Petition the public for crowdsourced ideas, only to be caught out when they have something nasty to say. </span>Crowdsourcing is in vogue these days, giving loyal fans a chance to name a new product or devise a new softdrink formula. But as Chevrolet learned with its Tahoe SUV, be prepared to get from the public more than a clever new slogan.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqf5CmL4xdXY6YqKZrXepyIxLb9yFgeAFqBGV_IdFetySsEQFaYr1cA6Gu0DKz_uyD6ujQ_DjkmAHclOs2BqEKW1AD8GjgFVLip3N-rw-v2CbmbSUiw61iOClDf3E8vOpYavAe0RQnB6G/s1600/Vodafonex390-advocate.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525750423429268898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqf5CmL4xdXY6YqKZrXepyIxLb9yFgeAFqBGV_IdFetySsEQFaYr1cA6Gu0DKz_uyD6ujQ_DjkmAHclOs2BqEKW1AD8GjgFVLip3N-rw-v2CbmbSUiw61iOClDf3E8vOpYavAe0RQnB6G/s400/Vodafonex390-advocate.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; width: 285px; height: 86px;" /></a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOoRVFszXL31AlOpXAG05tBMpUYe1v57WpYmWB3u144YV4hocwLAcOYWfLP00Gu0afBFDwub1CzQarK7PqmgKrwUAXZ4fH5wfyaQ29rsPZSGEiiZNTXGJX_f-3vFEtTMfrgleo0jbnmEBY/s1600/vodaphone+apology.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525750942846248226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOoRVFszXL31AlOpXAG05tBMpUYe1v57WpYmWB3u144YV4hocwLAcOYWfLP00Gu0afBFDwub1CzQarK7PqmgKrwUAXZ4fH5wfyaQ29rsPZSGEiiZNTXGJX_f-3vFEtTMfrgleo0jbnmEBY/s400/vodaphone+apology.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; width: 282px; height: 198px;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">above: the controversial Vodaphone tweet and reaction from Vodaphone</span></span><br /><br />* <span style="font-weight: bold;">Asleep at the wheel: giving junior employees full reign of the channels and providing them with little direction. </span>What could go wrong? Where to start here? Last year, the epic #fail was engineered by Habitat which gave an “overenthusiastic intern” the keys to the Twitter feed. The result? Famously tweeting sale promotions by piggy-backing on the trending Iran election hashtags. More recently, the Vodafone UK Twitter feed was hijacked by a rogue employee who let fly with the odd homophobic Tweet.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjib24JIBfS06Ljx-1XYtSgts168PYuDku8KApjWv8TbR9GeIWHOm9EfPP_WXAHVx9G6OIbXg1wACK1QAVXtzjRTbe2BtZF8GWI1Qg8ulxITNOjs7k3THPqoVMpVYI_PAchuOryL30LKobu/s1600/walmarting+across+america.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525751593400312498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjib24JIBfS06Ljx-1XYtSgts168PYuDku8KApjWv8TbR9GeIWHOm9EfPP_WXAHVx9G6OIbXg1wACK1QAVXtzjRTbe2BtZF8GWI1Qg8ulxITNOjs7k3THPqoVMpVYI_PAchuOryL30LKobu/s400/walmarting+across+america.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; width: 447px; height: 341px;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">above: Wal-Marting Across America, image from </span><a href="http://www.walmart.com" style="font-style: italic;">walmart.com</a></span><br /><br />* <span style="font-weight: bold;">Attempts at feel-good social media washing won’t come back to bite</span>. Wal-Mart took the most heat here when a folksy, it-will-be-blogged “Wal-Marting Across America” journey emerged just as it was getting pressured elsewhere for its checkered labor practices. All goodwill was lost when it was revealed Wal-Mart was funding the feel-good road trip.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMRSIwR1Cl0xdYum4_49pGBFykh4biwybIGM1eML1TdxKw53OkwqZJaMQonoHfy8EsCNlN_quVwYCYrzQAqOS5bmRC77mALwTMCwrGv6REo5b7lwiNMqCO1yvwcBCg2uBWQvetvQ9m7inj/s1600/Nestle+negative+comments.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525752787010126418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMRSIwR1Cl0xdYum4_49pGBFykh4biwybIGM1eML1TdxKw53OkwqZJaMQonoHfy8EsCNlN_quVwYCYrzQAqOS5bmRC77mALwTMCwrGv6REo5b7lwiNMqCO1yvwcBCg2uBWQvetvQ9m7inj/s400/Nestle+negative+comments.png" style="cursor: pointer; width: 372px; height: 251px;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">above: negative comments on Nestle's Facebook Fan Page</span></span><br /><br />* <span style="font-weight: bold;">Facebook is a forum for fans and “Likes.”</span> Burger King, Nestle, and BP, to name just a few have seen their Facebook pages overwhelmed by critics who want to expose dodgy company practice. Greenpeace has had great success mobilising its followers in a series of corporate Facebook pressure campaigns. BK quickly caved to the demands to cheers. Nestle, on the other hand, shouted back, inviting more opposition.<br /><br />The biggest culprits – plain dumb marketing, officious customer service and asleep-at-the-wheel moments in monitoring online reputation – are alive and well and triggering protests from the general public. For all the fresh money pouring into social media, we would expect the number of screw-ups to rise before companies really get the message that social media investment means more than crafting a slick campaign. It means two-way dialogue, transparency and, yes, learning from your mistakes.<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >sources: </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://socialmediainfluence.com/" style="font-style: italic;">SMI</a></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >, </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://reputationonline.co.uk/" style="font-style: italic;">Reputation Online</a></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >, </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://customcommunication.co.uk/" style="font-style: italic;">Custom Communication </a></span>

A Look At, And Analysis Of, Some Serious Social Media Screw-ups.

Social media most undoubtedly has its benefits and its drawbacks. Especially since brands and marketers are still experimenting with the con...

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Do All Those Posts and Comments On Sites Really Affect Sales?

<p>Below is part of an article from Trendwatching.com on what they've coined as Transparency Tyranny-the effect of online consumer reviews, habits and posts in regards to marketing and sales.</p><p>Really interesting. Read on....</p><br /><blockquote>Remember the promises of flawless matching of supply and demand, and limitless consumer power, when the web burst onto the scene a dozen years ago? While the last few years didn’t disappoint (consumers are already enjoying near-full transparency of prices and, in categories like travel and music, near-full transparency of opinions as well), 2007 could be the year in which TRANSPARENCY TYRANNY really starts scaring the shit out of non-performing brands. <p></p> Why? For one, 1+ billion consumers <a href="http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm" target="_blank">are now online</a>, and the majority of them have been online for years. They're skilled bargain seekers and ‘best of the best’ hunters, they're avid online networkers and they're opinionated reviewers and advisors (tripadvisor.com now boasts 5,000,000+ travel reviews).<br /><p class="subHeaderBriefing1"><img height="23" src="http://www.trendwatching.com/img/briefing/2007-05/sh-mass.gif" width="293" /></p> <p><strong>1+ billion consumers are now online</strong> and the majority of them have been online for years. They're skilled bargain seekers and ‘best of the best’ hunters, they're avid online networkers and they're opinionated reviewers and advisors. And there will no shortage of future contributors and viewers, especially with younger generations weighing in heavily; those that are born to the web, to whom contributing online is a given. Simply put: there will be many more consumers posting reviews, and they will increasingly consider them an integral part of their relationships with brands and businesses. </p>The non-competitive and the downright incompetent have very few stones left to hide under: never before have consumers’ purchase decisions been so strongly influenced by all kinds of transparency. In fact, TRANSPARENCY TYRANNY now rules: <p><span class="style31">"Old economy fog is clearing: no longer can incompetence, below-par performance, ignored global standards, anti-social & anti-eco behavior, or opaque pricing be obscured. In its place has come a transparent, fully informed marketplace, where producers have no excuse left to underperform. TRANSPARENCY TYRANNY for some, TRANSPARENCY TRIUMPH for others."</span></p><h3 class="style2"></h3></blockquote><h3 class="style2">TRANSPARENCY TYRANNY | Facts and figures </h3> <p><strong>Some numbers to convince those execs in your organization who still don’t see the <a href="http://trendwatching.com/www.trendwatching.com/trends/transparency.htm">TRANSPARENCY TYRANNY</a> deluge coming…</strong></p> <ul><li>80% of online shopping time is spent researching products rather than buying them. (TechCrunch)</li><li><br /></li><li>71% of online shoppers read reviews, making it the most widely read consumer-generated content. (Forrester)</li><li><br /></li><li>In a test of product conversion with and without product ratings by customers. Conversion nearly doubled, going from .44% to 1.04% after the same product displayed its five-star rating. (Marketing Experiments Journal)</li><li><br /></li><li>60 percent of online shoppers provide feedback about a shopping experience, and are more likely to give feedback about a positive experience than a negative one. (JupiterResearch)</li><li><br /></li><li>User-generated ratings and reviews are the second most important site feature behind search. Retailers who adopt ratings and reviews as a differentiator and retention strategy will gain market share. (JupiterResearch)</li><li><br /></li><li>In a study of 2,000 shoppers – 92% deemed customer reviews as “extremely” or “very” helpful and ~ 71% used keyword searches to find products. (eTailing Group)</li><li><br /></li><li>59% of their users considered customer reviews to be more valuable than expert reviews. (Bizrate)<br /></li><li><br />Only 26% of the 137 top retailers surveyed offered customer ratings and reviews, but 96% of them ranked customer ratings and reviews as an effective or very effective tactic at driving conversion. (Forrester)<br /></li><li><br />63% of consumers indicate they are more likely to purchase from a site if it has product ratings and reviews. (CompUSA & iPerceptions study)</li><li><br /></li><li>Conversion rates are higher on products with less than perfect reviews (less than 5 stars) than those without reviews at all, indicating that the customer feels that the product has been properly reviewed by other customers. (Burpee)</li><li><br /></li><li>39 percent of those who bought from sites with reviews cite the reviews as the primary factor influencing the purchase decision. (Foresee Results Study, 2006) </li></ul>

Do All Those Posts and Comments On Sites Really Affect Sales?

Below is part of an article from Trendwatching.com on what they've coined as Transparency Tyranny-the effect of online consumer reviews,...

Read more »