British Social Media Blunder

One of the major rules of business: Do not pass off your mistakes to someone else. 

Last week, when British Gas raised their prices by 9.2% then decided to host a Twitter Q&A using the hashtag #AskBG, the topic received an influx of negative tweets. The majority of the tweets were customers bashing the company for their greediness.

In response to these tweets, British Gas replied with excuses for their price increases. They said things such as, "We have cut prices four times in the past five years but the general wholesale energy trend is upwards." and "every £1 a customer pays us, we make 5p profit." This only fueled the fire. Customers were incredibly unhappy with the way the company dealt with the whole situation. The combination of the price hike and disastrous social media campaign will likely cause a sharp decline in British Gas' profits. 

The Lesson Here

When you make a mistake, apologize. That's all people want. When a mistake is made, there is no way that everyone will forgive you but it is important to minimize the damage. It should be clear to a company that a price hike will never come with a positive response from customers. It would be a smarter decision to let customers know about the price increase with a formal apology letter explaining the reasons for the increase. 

It Wasn't All Bad

No, British Gas did not handle this situation correctly in the slightest. However, Q&A sessions are a great tool for social marketers to use. It is important to know when to use them. Question and Answer sessions give a wonderful opportunity for honest conversation between a company and its customers. It is important to stay in touch with them and build loyalty. By doing so, if something like a price increase is necessary, having a strong customer base will lessen the impact.

Zippo: Olympic Controversy

The Sochi Olympics are approaching for the Winter of 2014 and companies are already doing whatever they can to cash in on the many marketing opportunities. There are a countless number of things that companies can play off of to market their business. 

Currently, the Olympic torch is making its way around the globe and a small mishap turned into what Zippo saw as a great opportunity. As the torch made its way through the streets, it went out. A man in the crowd took out a lighter and reignited the torch. While there is no evidence that the lighter was a Zippo, they used the event to bolster attention for the company.

Shortly after the post, Olympic officials forces the makers of Zippos lighters to take down the photograph. While they did take the photograph down, there is a chance the company could be in for some legal action. There is a law in Russia banning the use of Olympic symbols for advertising without the proper approval. 

Was it worth it?

Social media marketing is all about the risks. Companies have to constantly try to outdo one another in an attempt to keep their brand fresh and interesting. There isn't a lot of time for teams to get together to research and analyze the costs and benefits of a move like the one Zippo made. This is where a marketer has to use their gut and hope for the best. If the campaign is a success, the company makes money. If the campaign is a failure, you risk hurting the company's reputation and possibly losing your job. It is a tough decision, but it's one that needs to be made. 

Go for it.

Yes, there was backlash. Yes, they got in some trouble. However, what Zippo also did was get a conversation going. Unless you think there will be a massive outcry against a statement, you have to take the risks. Especially if you are a company that does not do so often. It gives people more respect for your company, they like to see new, edgy ideas. A company that is constantly hiding in the shadows can never hope to overtake one that is going to constantly. Success means risk. 

#mydunkin To Spotlight Real Customers

What are they doing?

Dunkin Donuts is introducing a new advertising campaign using social media content submitted by fans. They will be using thousands of posts from Facebook and Twitter to get customers to feature in six new television commercials. Fans have been posting using the mydunkin hashtag and the best posts are being chosen by the company. This is a multi-million dollar advertising and marketing campaign for the company.

Putting the customer first

Before the ads have even been launched how is it so clear that these ads are going to be a huge success for the wildly popular brand? They are putting the customer first. Dunkin Donuts has always done a fantastic job with all of their advertising. This new campaign is keeping up their long tradition of focusing on their customers ahead of anything. 

The focus on 

• Loyalty
• Forging strong relationships
• Authenticity
• Enthusiasm

between the Dunkin brand and their customers in this new campaign is going to make it immensely successful. Customers will love to see that the company is making a genuine effort to include them in all aspects of the business. They are showing that customers' Twitter and Facebook posts are not going unnoticed by the company. This will keep people, and even encourage more people to post. 

As you look to create new social media marketing campaigns keep these ideas in mind. Make sure you are always putting the customer first. The whole point of social media marketing is to be able to not only reach a whole new portion of your target market, but to reach out to them individually in a more personalized way. Following the lead of Dunkin Donuts will be a good place to start, everyone knows America Runs on Dunkin.