Facebook, Twitter et al, once considered
super-effective ways to build brands, are now at the forefront of bringing them
down. By Rajiv Singh
CASE STUDY 1
JUNE 12
Devorise
Dixon, an American citizen, claims he was served a deep fried rat instead of
chicken at a California KFC outlet. He posts a picture on Facebook that goes
viral across the globe. KFC denies the allegations, says it looks like a hoax.
JUNE 16:
KFC India
posts a Facebook message: “KFC takes customer claims very seriously, and they
are investigating this matter.'
JUNE 22:
A DNA test
confirms the product was chicken and the incident was a hoax. KFC asks Dixon to
apologise.
Even as
KFC's `fried rat' finally turned out to be a canard, for a good 10 days the
brand was roasted on social media. But think of the damage done to the brand's
equity, and sales, in those 10 days. KFC's spokesperson in India was not
available for comment.
“Social
media has always been a word-ofmouth medium, and where there is word of mouth sometimes
there are half-truths or hoaxes,“ says Rajiv Dingra, founder & CEO of
WATConsult, a digital and social media agency .
Brands need
to have an agile crisis management team in place along with a 247 social
monitoring team to ensure that instances of mischief are nipped in the bud
before they bloom into a full-fledged crisis, reckons Dingra. “Brands in India
have a long way to go on this front.“
Ankita Gaba,
a social media consultant, says consumers do not always use the power that
social media gives them to express themselves responsibly. “More often than
not, they utilise the medium to shame a person or a brand, what can be called
as social bullying.“ A brand can easily become a victim of this public shaming.
Gaba,
however, feels KFC was late in responding to the crisis. “A late response
always makes people feel that the brand is a culprit,“ she says. While a brand
is burdened under the pile of ignorance, protocols, nervousness, bureaucracy
and corporate policies, social media makes the news spread like wild fire, adds
Gaba. If KFC couldn't contain the wild fire, back home Mother Dairy acted
quickly to douse the spark.
CASE STUDY 2
JUNE 16:
The Uttar
Pradesh Food and Drug Administration (UPFDA) says it has found detergent in one
of the samples of milk of Mother Dairy . Social media starts buzzing, people
start reacting. However, the head of milk, fruit and vegetables section at
Mother Dairy insists its product is safe and fit for consumption.
JUNE 17:
The managing
director of the brand posts a statement on the company's Facebook page assuring
people that the milk is safe and explaining why the collected sample would have
never made its way into the fi nal product. The issue dies down, doesn't
snowball into a crisis.
“Lead from
the front and respond as quickly as possible,“ says S Nagarajan, managing
director of Mother Dairy Fruit & Vegetable.
Nagarajan
was confident that if the issue was explained to people quickly and
transparently, the damage would be contained. And this is exactly what
happened.A glance at Mother Dairy's Facebook page shows that after Nagarajan's
post, people were convinced by his replies and the milk adulteration talks duly
died out.
Nagarajan
underlines two crucial components of handling any social media crisis:
listening closely to the people and having a team that can be accessible and
can respond in an emphatic manner. “Brand reputation is taken care of if one
responds quickly.“Mother Dairy's response was matched in equal measure by
Nestle India's handling of the Maggi crisis. But the results were diametrically
opposite as Maggi was pulled out from the market.
Reason: the
brand lacked conviction in its communication. It's not only the speed of your
response, but also the `honesty' in it which determines the outcome.
CASE STUDY 3
MAY 20:
UPFDA finds
traces of lead and high percentage of MSG in samples of Maggi. The brand denies
the allegations, says it's safe for consumption.
MAY 21:
Rumours of a
Maggi recall flood social media. The brand acts promptly and says all talks of
recall are baseless and the product is safe.
JUNE 1:
Nestle India
says extensive testing reveals no excess lead in Maggi
JUNE 5:
Maggi is
taken off the shelf but the brand still maintains that it is `safe'. Loss of
face for the brand and consumer trust gets eroded. Social media is where it
takes only one person to call your bluff. So it's best to be honest, says
Dingra of WATConsult. If you know you have messed up, it's best to acknowledge,
accept and apologise. “More often than not this would turn the tide in your
favour with appreciation coming your way .“ Running away, staying silent and
being defensive only adds more fuel to fire, adds Dingra.
Brands, it
seems, are learning the hard way to deal with social media.
Info graphic Link |
Info graphic covers following
topic
·
How to Handle a Crisis
·
Dos & Don’ts on Social Media
Management….
Source | Economic Times | 1 July
2015
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