March 9
YouTube as a key tool in crisis management
More and more companies use social media and in particular Youtube to apologize to their customers and as a key tool in crisis management.
During the Toyota recall disaster in 2009/10 commercial director Jon Williams explaining how sorry he was about all the drama they have been having over the recalls of their cars. The interesting thing is that because people think that this type of communication is so innovative and exciting some of the blame around the incident itself is actually removed. It is almost a case of “ah look at them getting their CEO on Youtube, how forward thinking of them”.
There have been a few other examples of Youtube being used as a key tool in crisis management:
KLM’s President and CEO Peter Hartman about the unprecedented ash crisis in Europe:
The chief executive of Eurostar, Richard Brown, apologised to passengers who spent the night trapped in what he called “very unpleasant conditions” in the Channel Tunnel:
The Domino Pizza incident where two of its kitchen staffs deliberately contaminated the pizzas and posted the video in YouTube created a huge drama in the media, including the social media. The CEO apologized via the social media:
And a formel apology from BP’s CEO Tony Hayward: “The gulf spill is a tragedy that never should have happened ….. To those effected and your families, I’m deeply sorry.” Hayward talks about what BP is doing to help solve the crisis, protect the shorelines and clean up the mess.
The latest example comes from Taco Bell how is fighting back on Youtube.
But Youtube can also be used the other way around:
- YouTube users uploaded a steady stream of videos – about the oil spill – that use humor to express their anger about BP
- United repeatedly refused to listen and take corrective action after damaging the guitars of Dave Carroll
- Greenpeace activists in a number of European countries called on the international bank BNP Paribas to “stop radioactive investments”
- Hewlett-Packard, which released a web camera that supposedly track people’s faces – always keeping them centered on screen – got slammed when a buyer posted a video claiming that the product doesn’t recognize African American faces
On a growing scale internet users are tapping social media sites to seek support for political causes and voice consternation over what they see as unfair company practices.
Short URL & Title:
YouTube as a key tool in crisis management — http://www.torbenrick.eu/t/r/kam
