Using Social Media for Online Reputation Management

If you have not seen this You Tube Video by Dave Carroll of the Sons of Maxwell, take a moment to watch it. It showcases the power of Social Media as it relates to building or damaging your brand. It is also hysterically funny.

If you haven’t heard the story here it is in Dave Carroll’s own words:

In the spring of 2008, Sons of Maxwell were traveling to Nebraska for a one-week tour and my Taylor guitar was witnessed being thrown by United Airlines baggage handlers in Chicago. I discovered later that the $3500 guitar was severely damaged. They didn’t deny the experience occurred but for nine months the various people I communicated with put the responsibility for dealing with the damage on everyone other than themselves and finally said they would do nothing to compensate me for my loss. So I promised the last person to finally say no to compensation (Ms. Irlweg) that I would write and produce three songs about my experience with United Airlines and make videos for each to be viewed online by anyone in the world. United: Song 1 is the first of those songs. United: Song 2 has been written and video production is underway. United: Song 3 is coming. I promise.

I hate to crack on United Airlines but sadly they (like many large companies) totally missed their opportunity to take this damaging publicity and turn it around to their benefit. Since the incident this video has been viewed over 2,544,668 times plus it has been picked up by numerous traditional media outlets such as the LA Times, USA Today, Chicago Tribune. The damaging publicity far outweighs the cost of a new guitar.

Read the full story here:

United Airlines Online Public Response to Dave Carroll YouTube Video: 9 Tweets.