Case Studies

Do you remember that ridiculously stupid ad campaign for Mrs Ball’s chutney, that made the rounds sometime last year? It was the “National Skirt Extension Project” campaign, where the readers were made to believe that all the ladies’ toilet signs would need to be changed to show the “ladies” wearing a longer skirt.

It was all part of a campaign that suggested that some things are fine the way the are, including …..Mrs Balls Chutney!!!! (sigh).

So, the overall consensus was that it was silly. Those who tend to have stronger opinions (like me) thought it was utterly stupid. Linking toilets signs to a food product….. sigh, again.

But hey! They got the stats! The Saturday Star reported that the NSEP website got 360 000 hits, inspired 6 000 phone calls, 300 blogs in 23 countries and 10 000 emails from people with an opinion on the issue and in search of what and who was behind it all. (via all4women).

Just to be clear, I think that the skirt campaign bit was clever. It just had a very, very poor product match. We were all expecting something quirkier, cleverer, funnier than Mrs Ball’s chutney.

But this post isn’t about the campaign per se. It’s about how Mrs Ball’s reacted to negative criticism. I know of at least one case where a blogger who offered negative criticism of the campaign was sent a “cease and desist” letter from the company, asking for the posts to be removed. Unfortunately he complied, but fortunately Google never forgets.

It has come to our attention that various posts relating to Mrs H.S. Ball’s products, specifically those dated 15th & 16th April 2009, have been placed on the website www.neuromance.co.za , which is registered to your name.
We are concerned that the above posts contain negative aspersions about our Mrs H.S. Ball’s product and may undermine the perception of our brand in consumers’ minds.
As you will appreciate, we have invested a substantial sum in the development of the brand in South Africa and internationally and believe that these posts are harmful to the Mrs H.S. Ball’s brand.
To these ends, we request your cooperation in removing these posts from your website within the next 3 days.

Kind Regards on behalf of
THE BRAND MANAGER

Here is an important lesson for marketers who want to play the online game: you have to take the risk on the chin. If you are going to run a campaign that you want to be noticed, that you want to go viral, that you want to grab attention, then please understand that it is very possible that others will try to knock you off your pedestal. You are taking a risk by running something that is different, and the risk can play out both ways. You have to be prepared for that, and have contingencies in place. But silencing the opposition is not a contingency….it’s a bully tactic.

In the case of Mrs Ball’s, they are lucky that the blogger is so passive. Most would have published the cease and desist letter, and kept the original posts live. There is nothing preventing us from having, and expressing, our opinion, and unfortunately in this case Mrs Ball’s opened the door wide – very wide – for criticism.

This is another one of those examples, where the client has obviously not considered, or hasn’t been informed, about the potential negative effects of a social media campaign. Once again…the client in this case got off ligthly. But the lesson is still valid, and a “What if…” approach should be mandatory for every social media campaign strategy layout.

Cease and desist letters need to be thought out carefully, because should they fall into the wrong hands, and should they have been written for the wrong reasons, they can cause further havoc to the brand, and draw more attention to what the brand wanted to be kept quiet in the first place.

My suggestion? If you feel that a “cease and desist” letter is in order, first try to make direct, informal contact with the writer voicing your concerns, and have a reasonable discussion. I have amended some of my blog posts (transparently) as a result of such contact, and the whole process can be amicable and civilised.

This is an excerpt from my free, downloadable book Should your company be using Social Media?

You can download the book from here. Please feel free to distribute, RT and share with your network!

INTRODUCTION

Social Media allows people to talk and discuss things online. One of those things that will possibly be discussed is your company, and its products. The premise therefore is simple: if you want to be part of that discussion, so that you are not just being talked about, but are actually talking with, then you need to start embracing social media.

It has almost become a cliche to mention, at this point, that the conversation about your company will happen whether you are or are not actually part of it. I tend to disagree with that. Yes, if you are one of the four banks, or an airline, or a major retailer then South Africans will definitely talk online about you in both positive and negative terms. But if you are a smaller business, or one with a very small niche market, with narrow reach, then unless you are absolutely exemplary or absolutely pathetic, the chances are that conversations about you will not carry much impact. At least, not unless you start getting seriously involved in them.

So that leaves a South African company in a curious position. Because the online penetration and adoptation rate by older generations is so much greater in the US, the conventional wisdom there is that companies must be active online, and must engage their customers in regular conversations. That is probably true. But in South Africa, there is no must about it. It is up to you, as company or brand owner to figure out whether such a conversation is worth the time and expense that it will carry.

The answer is not clear cut.

Although I will be the first to say that a good online strategy will almost definitely be an effective way to drive business, I have seen (many) local companies who have had plentiful resources to throw at social media fail miserably in their endeavours. The truth is that you need more than just a positive attitude towards social media to make it work. At the very least you need knowledge, dedication and the right people to drive its success.

Undoubtedly, the pressure is on for South African businesses and their brands to establish a strong online presence for themselves. Since you are reading this book, I assume that you too are interested in initiating or strengthening your online strategy. You’d be smart to feel nervous and apprehensive. No one really has all the answers, and mistakes can be expensive both financially and reputation-wise. On the other hand, get it right and you could be reaping the benefits only dreamed of by your competition.

This book is meant to answer your question of whether the online presence of your company or brand should be passive or active. The passive approach implies a static website that offers basic information to your customers. There is nothing wrong with that, and sometimes it is the better choice. The active approach is the one that is getting all the buzz: it means creating a presence that is reactive, dynamic and never stagnant.

Part of the trick in getting it right is making sure that you have all the necessary information so you yourself can evaluate the viability of investing time and money in the web. And that information should be as “local” as possible, since our online space in South Africa and our online audience is vastly different from that of our other English speaking friends. Our adaptation and interaction differs, and therefore so should your strategy.

That’s what this book is for. It presents the facts, and the options for a successful online presence. It also highlights the pitfalls and the dangers. It is my sincere belief that after reading the book you will realise that every company in South Africa:
Needs to be online
Need to be online with a strategy
Needs to find its own acceptable level of online presence penetration

Or, in other words, I hope that after reading this book you will have a good idea of what kind of online strategy your company should follow. Whether you decide to implement it in-house or outsource it, you will be entering the space from a position of strength, and knowledge on your side.

There is another huge benefit to you having this knowledge: you will not be taken in by overpriced “gurus” and “experts” who are simply out to fleece you. I see it often. Because this is a complex space, and no one really wants to look ignorant, companies are happy to just hand off thousands of Rands to others, trusting them to do a good job. At best, this works well, but often times it is an absolute disaster. A well cited example is Durban’s R6 million Rand website that did not run on all browsers. On the other side of the coin are companies who think they can do it all themselves…this too has often proven foolish.

To read more, please download the full book here.