A while back, I came across an article entitled the Top Ten Branded Social Media Nightmares by @roncallari [http://bit.ly/Puzeh]. I actually felt bad for a few of the brands. In particular, Dominos, whose reputation was scuffed by two rogue employees, one of which was featured on the Today’s Show wiping his keester with a sponge in the kitchen. Yum.
Does this mean I would never-ever go to Domino’s again? Um, no. I’ve been around the block enough to know that these are not the only two rogue employees that work in food service. Yes, the association with brand may take a temporary hit, but I’m smart enough to know that this could be a complete deviation from the fabric of their brand and their organization.
On the other hand, I was tickled to see Dave Carroll’s YouTube music video United Breaks Guitars. This is a MUST watch. It’s creative, smart, and the song itself is quite catchy—I walked around my home whistling it off-and-on for an entire afternoon. Here it is:
Now let me explain why I relished every brand-damaging second of that video. In spring 2006, I departed Burlington, VT on—you guessed it—United Airlines. Final destination: Salt Lake City. To make a long story short, let me outline my travel itinerary: Burlington then O’Hare then Salt Lake (Park City) for three days then back to Burlington via Chicago. Contrast that with the unplanned itinerary of my bag (compliments of United Airlines): Burlington then Dulles then Denver then Honolulu (that is not a typo) then-who-the-hell-knows-where for three days then back to Burlington. Needless to say, the folks at the conference recognized me on day two and three since I had on the exact same clothes. Like Dave Carroll, I spent hours on call after call weaving through the fabric of United’s disorganization.
Here’s the funny part! On day two of the conference, I was politely explaining to just about everyone I met why I was wearing the same attire from the previous day, one executive jumped in with a similar story. It went something like this:
“The last time I checked in with United on my way to Los Angeles, I asked United if they could send one of my bags to Chicago and one to Denver! The ticket counter lady looked at me puzzled, and replied, ‘Sir, we can’t do that!’— I responded without missing a beat ‘Why not, you did it last time!?”
So here’s my message. If your company sucks, you will be exposed. Period. The social web has busted down the one-way messages that many lousy companies have hidden behind for ages. It’s the people who are in control now, the game will never be the same. Hooray, let’s celebrate!
