Social media have created a participation culture. We no longer merely watch and consume culture. We create, share and interact with it. Social media has forced openness and transparency in businesses that was not possible before. The power has shifted to the customer who can – if dissatisfied with the business – impact the business: [...]

Apologizing has become one of the standard practices of crisis communication and reputation management. The problem is, they are all starting to sound alike. Johnson & Johnson, already under fire for a string of product recalls, had another public relations issue on its hands after its o.b. tampons temporarily disappeared from stores and little was [...]

The voice of the customer has changed – it can influence the actions of even the biggest companies. When Bank of America announced that it would begin charging debit card users a $5 monthly fee, 22-year-old Molly Katchpole got mad and started an online petition. Her petition eventually gained more than 306.000 signatures and that started [...]

Social media has forced openness and transparency in businesses that was not possible before. The power has shifted to the customer who can, if dissatisfied with the business, impact the business and brand very publically. According to new research by Sage 22% of UK consumers would  complain to a company using social media when they [...]