Organizations exploring use of social media (e.g., as part of marketing and other community outreach efforts), need to "expect the unexpected" re: emotional reactions (both pro and con), misinterpretations of the intent and of course, the accusation that a company used poor judgement. Such commentary may not always be credible, but if a company is going to leverage social media, it needs to pursue it in a participatory manner. An organization needs to listen to the feedback it receives (from participants themselves as well as from those that might be observing such activities). While some of this information will be positive, it also means that an organization will receive insight that it might not necessarily want to hear.
Participation is a bi-directional conversation and cooperative relationship - especially when a community is passionate with its contributions or feels there is some level of joint ownership involved. If an organization is not prepared to deal with diverse streams of feedback, I'm not sure why they are pursuing social media strategies in the first place. Decision makers need to ensure that there are mechanisms in place to accomodate such commentary as part of social media programs, be open to modifying the social media effort based on such feedback, and take appropriate action on those concerns that are valid (which in some situations, might require terminating a campaign).
Molson's online marketing campaign, in which students were encouraged to post pictures of themselves partying on campus, was “misinterpreted” as promoting irresponsible drinking, said Ferg Devins, a vice-president at Molson Coors Brewing Co. After a Globe and Mail article ran Friday, the brewer decided to end the contest one week early, he said. “The whole realm of social media – there's lots to learn,” he said. “It's really a new area. We're probably groundbreaking and leading in a lot of things we've been doing.”
Business leaders are scratching their heads when it comes to using social media in their marketing, confirms a new study to be released tomorrow. The survey, done by Pollara Strategic Insights, found that 26 per cent of business and marketing leaders say they are less familiar with social media marketing than their own customers. But the data also found that 46 per cent of business leaders say social media tools, such as Facebook, YouTube and blogs – which allow people to generate their own content and share it with others worldwide – are becoming more important than traditional mass media, including television, newspapers and radio. And 85 per cent said these forums have become an essential component of the communications mix.
globeandmail.com: Molson pulls plug on Facebook photo contest
Related Article: Molson photo contest brews up anger
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