Have you ever posted a late-night tweet, uploaded a photo or written on someone’s wall and regretted it the next day? It’s safe to say pretty much all of us have committed a social media blunder.
Brands are not exempt from committing online faux pas, either, even though they should know better. The latest example is from Australian company, Sellitonline, an online retailer which specializes in camping and RVing accessories.
In Jan. 2013, bushfires ravaged the island state of Tasmania. Sellitonline, attempting to seize an opportunity to increase its Facebook following, posted on its fan page that it would donate generators to Tasmanian families affected by the fires…based on how many new likes the page received.
The people at the company might have thought this could be a way to get some new fans to the Facebook page, while at the same time appearing philanthropic. However, it just came off as exploitative. Instead of building good will toward the brand, it tarnished the company’s image.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a company piggyback on the news on social media with disastrous results. Perhaps the most famous example is Kenneth Cole’s tweet about the Arab Spring. The lessons these brands can teach is to think before you post and to keep it classy. If Sellitonline had just promised to donate generators, without any conditions, it undoubtedly would have garnered a much different, and more positive, reaction to its post.
FletcherPR is a national communications firm that specializes in reaching women through the power of media. Headquartered in Knoxville, TN with staff in Nashville & Los Angeles, we are a full-service agency providing strategic public relations, social media and marketing communications services to our clients throughout the U.S.