Maytag Misjudges Social Media
Social media can make or break a brand, a lesson Maytag learned the hard way.
Home appliance giant, Maytag, is facing some tough times ahead after Heather Armstrong (a.k.a. Dooce), number 26 on Forbes’ list of Most Influential Women in Media, had a less than satisfying experience.
You do not want to get on the wrong side of a woman with over 1 million twitter followers.
Maytag gave Heather the run-around after her brand new washing machine broke, take a look below to see her comments.
Will Maytag learn from this experience and possibly offer a public apology? Would that be enough? At this point it is the best option, and quite possibly the only option. Over at T3, Kate Donaho offers these final words:
However Dooce and Maytag settle the issue of the broken $1300 washing machine, it’s yet another cautionary tale for brands that a meaningful social media presence is an essential element of public relations.
Other companies have felt the wrath of social media. These examples will hopefully be yet another warning of how influential social media can be.
Carson Shold is a freelance graphic and web designer born in Victoria, BC and living in London, Ontario. He is a ‘for hire‘ designer that wants to help your business stand out – the right way. You can connect with him and his thoughts on twitter or check out his portfolio at carsonshold.com.
It’s scary to think that public relations experts now have to dive outside the realms of traditional media and into the world of social media. I’m sure corporations miss one-way advertising and having the ability to control exactly what’s said about their brand. As such, how do we tackle this situation? I feel like top bloggers could become quite demanding if they develop a following. Especially if there are no journalistic code of ethics that needs to be followed. Let’s see how this settles!