Brand Gaffes are More Visible in a Social World

Your social marketing strategy and brand reputation

Online marketing strategies vary in application and delivery. When it comes to social outreach, visibility is highest and most influential, which is where most mistakes make their biggest impression. Every brand has their own approach to their particular audience, but it is ultimately how they appear on the social scene that will determine the outcome of their present situation.

What are some lessons from brands like Progressive and Flo when using social? 

Always keep in mind that social never sleeps. An audience is always listening and interacting with each other, and utilizing word of mouth marketing strategies. What this means is that a brand has little control over how an audience will react to an incident. What they do have control over is how they react to it. 

Transparency is perhaps the most important lesson to be learned here. A Brand must build trust by being trustworthy and open. The more you try to hide bad publicity, the more social will spread the word. Admit mistakes and don’t try to hide them. Everyone makes mistakes, but bad publicity depends on the response to the mistake.

The best place to start is to establish your values publicly. Employ strategic clarity so that your audience understands what your brand proposes to deliver. You must be able to present a good image that matches what you stand for. 

What would you ask before launching an ad campaign like Mentos? 

These controversial ads are a very different approach than previously established, and the change in pace can sometimes be cause for discussion more than the message itself. 

It comes down to ad context then. Brand imagery should present what it intends to achieve, but in these controversial cases, we get a different effect from the ad’s context. If a brand was to do this, consider that there is an “edge factor” it is trying to achieve. The ad was controversial, but it worked for its particular audience. This means that a brand must also target particular demographics and place marketing strategies within an atmosphere they would be accepted in. Controversy can be effective at creating discussion as well, but keep in mind how to respond to negative or controversial feedback on your social sites.

It’s also good to remember that while your campaign may target your target audience, in today’s 24/7 social world campaigns can be taken out of context and can create “interesting” conversation just like what happened with Mentos ad which was targeted for Maxim readers.

This brings attention to the next situation. Is Chapstick good or bad for women based on their ad and how they approached their social strategies? 

In most cases, it could be stated that the ad was misinterpreted, but confusion can also be bad. What is your ad trying to achieve? It would actually appear that Chapstick is working to motivate the audience to buy more because they are losing it all the time. It could also be designed to start conversation, which it has. A lot of people do lose their Chapstick, so it appealed well there. 

The bad part was when Chapstick deleted comments from their social sites. The ad was possibly taken out of perspective, and resulted in a large amount of people feeling offended and sharing that through social outlets. The lesson learned is that wishing a problem away doesn’t mean it’s gone. Rather than deleting negative comments, it is the best practice to approach them and solve the problem. Explain the present stance and clarify the message. Don’t try to hide the problem because it will only get bigger.

Then we have the Southwest Airlines multiple charge fiasco- did it hurt their brand or will it remain unchanged? 

Initially, customers were very upset to find they were being charged multiple times. While Southwest will take a hit for the technical glitches, it does present the opportunity to solve a mistake. How they handle it will ultimately decide if it is damaging to their brand. 

This only enforces the lesson of being honest and upfront about the mistake. A brand should focus on fixing, apologizing, and compensating for any situation rather than trying to sweep it under the rug. Through effective customer service practices, a brand can turn a bad situation into good publicity. Though Southwest had to issue refunds and likely compensate extra, the public view is that the brand is willing to work to fix their mess and make sure their audience is happy. A bad situation was turned to good. 

A brand’s image is viewed through the eyes of social. Updates, virality, and otherwise word of mouth strategies make social a marketing tool that never sleeps. But, it is a double-edged sword that can hurt a brand if used the wrong way. Learn a lesson from brands that have been in that situation and apply it to how your brand employs the strategy of social marketing.