Although we’re bombarded with information about social media from all sides, and we do hear about successful programs, it seems that in too many cases we’re still stumbling in the dark. Almost half of the worst PR blunders of 2009 had an online component.
“The biggest lessons learned this year are in the social media sphere,” says Michael Fineman, president of San Francisco-based Fineman PR. Each year, Fineman PR publishes a list of the “Top 10 PR Blunders” of the year.
“There are at least four or five blunders directly related to working with the Internet—or not knowing how to work with the Internet,” Fineman says.
The two worst social media fiascoes were:
United Breaks Guitars: although the end of the saga was played out online, it could have been avoided if United had handled the problem promptly. Not only was the video United Breaks Guitars seen by more than 3 million people in a week, the story caught the attention of mainstream media. Ben Mutzabaugh of USA Today described Carroll’s success as demonstrating “just how quickly the Internet can help a disgruntled customer turn the tables on a company and its effort to manage its public image.” Views are now up to almost 7.5 million.
Dominoes Pizza: Again the company was way too slow to respond. This video had over one million views in just 48 hours. After two painful days, Domino’s finally reacted, launching its first corporate Twitter account and posting a public apology on YouTube.
Constant monitoring of social media, being prepared for an online crisis, fast reaction times and knowing how to respond should be paramount in 2010.
One of the predictions that came out of the report by Stevens Gould Pincus on M&A activity in the PR industry is that there will be an increasing need for new media/interactive divisions in PR firms. The report also highights that training will be high on the list for 2010.
They predict that PR practitioners – whether agencies and in house – who grow in this area will stay ahead of the competition.
Are you ready for 2010?
