It’s incredibly satisfying to witness a major brand experience a public takedown on social media. Regardless of our level of interest in the brand – or perhaps specifically because of our indifference – observing a large corporation face the wrath of disgruntled customers on platforms like Twitter or Facebook is the epitome of schadenfreude, especially when they deserve it (which, let’s face it, is almost always the case).
Even a stopped clock is right twice a day… _ Effectively managing a crisis on social media has become increasingly vital, yet it’s astonishing to see brands that should possess the awareness and expertise make the same errors repeatedly. From ill-conceived tweets to misguided Facebook rants, we’ve witnessed some of the world’s largest brands brought low by the power of social media, and personally, I never tire of watching these situations unfold. Of course, someone has to clean up the mess, regardless of their involvement in creating it. This article will delve into five illustrative examples of social media crises and their outcomes, along with six strategies for building your own response plan for such situations. We’ll revisit some of the most notable missteps by major brands in recent years, serving as cautionary tales (and maybe even the subject of well-deserved humor), before analyzing not only their post-crisis mistakes but also the actions they should have taken. Ready to scrutinize major brands and revel in a little bit of Nelson Muntz laugh with me? Let’s dive in!
5 Examples of Social Media Crises
#1: McDonald’s Hashtag Mishap
While the search functionality of many social media platforms has significantly improved in recent years, hashtags continue to play a crucial role in maximizing the reach of social media campaigns. The premise is simple: devise a catchy hashtag, let users spread the word, and enjoy the benefits. What could possibly go wrong?
As McDonald’s discovered in 2012, pretty much everything. Coinciding with a campaign promoting its Happy Meals, McDonald’s launched the hashtag #McDStories, inviting followers to share their personal experiences. Much to the presumed horror of the fast-food giant’s social media team, that’s precisely what people did.
This is just one of countless tweets that used the #McDStories hashtag to expose McDonald’s questionable practices. In an immediate turn of events, individuals began sharing their most negative encounters with McDonald’s, whether as employees or customers. These ranged from disturbing labor law violations witnessed by former staff to shocking firsthand accounts of animal cruelty within the company’s supply chain. This incident marked one of McDonald’s biggest social media failures and serves as a stark reminder of the potential for hashtag-driven campaigns to backfire spectacularly.
Social Media Crisis #2: Insensitive Brand Tie-Ins
An old adage states that the only guarantees in life are death and taxes. I propose adding a third: tone-deaf brand tweets on the anniversary of 9/11.
Seriously, stop it. It seems that no matter how many brands face criticism for attempting to capitalize on the anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks, it happens again every year. Countless examples exist, each as offensive as the last.
We also remember – just not in the way CVS wants us to. In 2014, outspoken designer and co-founder of San Francisco-based Mule Design Mike Monteiro took some of the most egregious offenders to task for their exploitative “branding” on Twitter, sparking crucial conversations about the inappropriateness of leveraging national tragedies for commercial gain. Unfortunately, this opportunistic branding isn’t limited to 9/11 memorials. In the same year, the hashtag #WhyIStayed, focusing on stories of domestic abuse survivors, gained traction on Twitter. Predictably, it didn’t take long for brands to insert themselves into the conversation inappropriately, as demonstrated by DiGiorno Pizza’s remarkably tasteless attempt to exploit the hashtag:
Social Media Crisis #3: Customer Service Nightmares
Social media has provided us with more than just a platform to express our every thought and observation; it’s also become a primary avenue for directly communicating our opinions to brands. HubSpot reports that 72% of consumers who contact a company on Twitter expect a response within an hour, emphasizing that delayed responses to customer complaints can be detrimental to a company’s online reputation. Take British Airways, for example. In September 2013, Twitter user Hasan Syed, known as @HVSVN, tweeted about British Airways’ subpar customer service. This wasn’t just an ordinary tweet; @HVSVN was so frustrated that he paid to promote it to every user following British Airways, strategically leveraging audience segmentation to amplify the tweet’s reach to over 76,000 people:
Admittedly, @HVSVN’s tweet was somewhat vague and didn’t specify a particular complaint or experience with the airline. However, British Airways exacerbated the situation by failing to address the tweet for over eight hours. The reason for this delay? Their social media team was off duty, operating only during regular business hours.
#Oops #Busted A timely response from BA could have mitigated some of the damage – but it didn’t happen. This serves as a valuable lesson for companies of all sizes, particularly highly profitable international airlines that can easily afford a 24/7 social media presence.
Social Media Crisis #4: The Perils of Multiple Accounts
Ever accidentally tweeted from a personal account when you meant to use your company’s account? Then you understand the potential consequences of mixing up social media accounts. This blunder occurs with alarming regularity. A brand’s social account posts an update or tweet reflecting poorly on the company, followed by either profuse apologies or unconvincing claims of account “hacks.”
Someone call the internet police! One unforgettable instance involved British mobile network Vodafone UK in February 2010 when the company’s official Twitter account posted a truly repulsive and undeniably homophobic tweet. (I won’t display the tweet here, but you can read this story in The Guardian for the details.) As is customary in such situations, Vodafone promptly deleted the tweet. However, they soon realized that the internet never forgets, as numerous users had captured screenshots and reposted it. The company issued apologies to its followers, both collectively and individually, in the subsequent hours. A statement later attributed the tweet to an employee at their Stoke customer service center, who was subsequently dismissed. Despite this action, the damage to Vodafone UK’s brand lingered long after the employee’s departure.
Social Media Crisis #5: Toxic Political Stances
Sometimes, brands make such significant social media blunders that their recovery seems remarkable. Footwear brand New Balance learned this the hard way last year when they unintentionally became associated with white supremacists.
During an interview with the Wall Street Journal, New Balance’s VP of Public Affairs, Matt LeBretton, expressed support for the incoming Trump administration when questioned about his stance on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. New Balance had been a vocal opponent of the TPP for years and was vying for an exclusive contract to supply athletic footwear to the U.S. Department of Justice, a contract for which the company was willing to overlook the “poison pill that is TPP.” However, LeBretton’s statement that “frankly, w/ Pres-Elect Trump we feel things are going to move in the right direction” was met with immediate backlash from both supporters and critics of New Balance. Shortly after the interview’s publication, neo-Nazi website The Daily Stormer declared New Balance the “official brand of the Trump revolution.” This prompted countless former customers to post images of their discarded New Balance shoes on social media:
Social Media Crisis Management 101: 6 Survival Tips
Having explored various ways to unintentionally harm a brand on social media, let’s examine measures to mitigate the risk of facing a similar crisis and strategies to employ if one arises.
#1: Think Twice Before Hashtaging
As previously discussed, hashtags can be powerful tools for amplifying social media content. However, McDonald’s experience serves as a harsh reminder that hashtags can be equally destructive. Before launching any hashtag-based campaign, consider the numerous ways it could backfire. Could the hashtag’s meaning be intentionally misinterpreted to damage your company’s reputation? This is not the time to assume good intentions from strangers or society in general.
Let’s pour one out for Comcast Dan. Public perception of your company (or your employer’s) also plays a significant role in the potential downsides of hashtag-centric campaigns. This is especially crucial if you manage the social media presence of large corporations with less-than-stellar reputations, such as Comcast. No amount of financial investment, positive messaging, or creative hashtag design can overcome deeply ingrained negative perceptions. If people dislike your company, they will exploit any opportunity to criticize it on social media, including hijacking your hashtags. If you have any doubts whatsoever, it might be wise to reconsider relying heavily on a hashtag strategy.
#2: Don’t Exploit Crises for Profit
If you believe your tweet about 9/11 or a similar tragedy will be humorous – it won’t be. There’s absolutely no justification for attempting to capitalize on a tragedy, ever. The tone of your tweets or posts, whether humorous, somber, or respectful, is irrelevant – they are unnecessary. Even the appearance of exploiting a tragedy for personal gain can spark a social media backlash with the potential to severely damage your brand’s image. Another aspect to consider is scheduled tweets. Many companies schedule their social media posts weeks in advance, making it impossible to predict unforeseen tragedies. Therefore, if you have content queued up and a major terrorist attack or natural disaster occurs, consider postponing those posts until media coverage subsides. Even scheduled content published during or shortly after a national tragedy can appear insensitive and potentially damaging, similar to actively attempting to exploit the situation.
#3: Develop and Implement Response Plans
One of the most detrimental aspects of a social media crisis isn’t just the initial incident and its immediate fallout but the lack of a defined, pre-established response plan. Regardless of the specific crisis affecting your company on social media, you should have a clear understanding of the necessary actions and the individuals responsible for assessing, addressing, and monitoring the situation’s development. Everyone identified in the crisis response plan should be familiar with their role and the plan’s execution. While anticipating every single eventuality is impossible, it’s surprising how many companies lack even a basic disaster response plan.
Beyond preparing a detailed response plan, consider the tone of your prepared responses, not just the timing and delivery. If your company made a mistake, insincere apologies like “We’re sorry you feel that way” will likely worsen the situation. Genuine and heartfelt apologies aren’t just the ethical approach when you stumble – they’re what your frustrated followers will expect (or demand), so avoid compounding the issue by refusing to accept responsibility or offering a weak, half-hearted apology.
#4: Create a Social Media Playbook
As social media has evolved into a more sophisticated marketing tool, an increasing number of companies have chosen to formally document their internal preferences and guidelines for employees in comprehensive social media playbooks. If your company doesn’t have one, now is the time to create one. The specific elements to include in a social media playbook are beyond the scope of this article. However, the social media handbook of Oracle’s Eloqua platform provides an excellent starting point for companies considering this step.
This excerpt from Eloqua’s social media playbook_ offers valuable insights for businesses developing their own social media guidelines. Your social media playbook should encompass not only the aforementioned disaster response plans but also guidelines for social media usage by representatives and employees. This includes aspects like the style, tone, and voice of content published through official handles or accounts. (Integrating elements of your company’s style guide into the social media playbook, especially regarding content governance, can be beneficial.) Additionally, the playbook should contain explicit guidelines for responding to user inquiries on behalf of the company and general codes of conduct (such as apologies, as discussed earlier). It should also address procedures for handling offensive tweets or posts (pro tip: avoid deleting them until a comprehensive explanation and follow-up post have been published), escalation protocols, and appropriate reporting procedures to ensure key stakeholders remain informed about developing or emerging crises. While social media guidelines are valuable for companies, they do come with risks. Forcing employees to adhere to excessively stringent social media usage policies that infringe upon their civil liberties or freedom of speech is unethical (and likely illegal). Attempting to police employees’ personal social media content reflects poorly on the company and can attract negative press. Protecting your business’s reputation is essential, but not at the expense of your employees’ right to freedom of expression.
#5: Implement Two-Factor Authentication
Whether caused by genuine “hacks” or simple negligence across multiple accounts, social media account mix-ups can be incredibly damaging. Therefore, consider implementing two-factor authentication for all social media platforms whenever possible.
This illustration from Google_ demonstrates how two-factor authentication works. For those unfamiliar with two-factor authentication (also known as two-step verification), this security measure requires clearing two distinct challenges before granting access to a social media account. This usually involves an initial username and password verification, followed by a secondary check requiring a unique login code or access key. This secondary code is typically sent via text or email to registered account holders, adding an extra layer of security. While two-factor authentication isn’t a foolproof solution to prevent accidental tweets from personal accounts, it does significantly reduce the risk. It also minimizes the likelihood of corporate social media accounts being compromised and is among the simplest and most effective security measures available.
#6: Choose Your Battles Wisely
As Matt LeBretton of New Balance discovered after expressing support for Trump’s proposed policies, taking sides in political battles can backfire dramatically. However, separating the political from the everyday is becoming increasingly challenging, and even the most carefully curated social media brand or persona may struggle to remain neutral indefinitely. Regardless of your personal or corporate political views, carefully choosing your battles is crucial for navigating the world of social media. The Sleeping Giants movement, which urges prominent brands to withdraw advertising from websites promoting white supremacy and other abhorrent ideologies, demonstrates that people are willing to support companies taking a stand against hatred and bigotry.
Patagonia, the outdoor apparel company, published this Facebook post criticizing Trump’s executive order to reduce the size of the Bears Ears National Monument in southeastern Utah. Patagonia recently used its official social media channels to publicly oppose government plans to shrink protected national monuments and public lands in several western states. This stance garnered immense support for the company and its leadership. While I’d argue that Patagonia’s decision to address this contentious and crucial political and environmental issue didn’t harm sales or social engagement, it remains a bold move for a major outdoor apparel retailer to openly criticize the government on social media – a potentially disastrous decision that ultimately resonated with the public, highlighting the importance of consistent brand values on these platforms. However, it’s crucial to remember that pleasing everyone all the time is impossible and that taking a stance will likely alienate some individuals. Regardless of how you navigate these situations, the established procedures should be clearly outlined in your company’s social media playbook.
Maintaining Composure Under Pressure
In today’s business landscape, few things are as stressful or potentially damaging as a full-blown social media crisis. Fortunately, the tips and strategies outlined above can help you manage these situations proactively, preventing irreparable harm to your company or reputation. However, taking as many precautionary measures as possible to minimize confusion as social media emergencies unfold is essential.