Can Social Media Kill a Brand?

Social Media 23 Feb 2007

I recently came across this great article written by Kalena Jordan, titled Social Media: The Instant Brand Killer. She cites a few examples of big brands like Microsoft and how Social Media “brought them down to their knees” because they “bribed” several A-list bloggers to review Vista. The title of the article is a tad deceiving because I am not sure there was any loss to Microsoft’s market share because of this incident. Nonetheless, it was a very informative article.

Unfortunately, this is the risk of engaging in social media marketing. Companies need to ask themselves if they are wiling to take that risk of receiving bad press. However, I would argue that Vista probably would have received negative reviews anyway; assuming the OS is really that horrible. The fact of the matter is that there are conversations going on everyday through social media channels about products, services and even the business itself; and if companies don’t participate, then someone else will.

So the question remains: Can Social Media Kill a Brand? I would say, yes, it’s quite possible; whether a company participates in it or not.

Technorati Tags: social media, risks of social media, social media marketing

About the author

Michael Brito

Michael Brito is a Senior Vice President of Social Business Planning at Edelman Digital. He helps his clients transform their organizations to be more open, collaborative and socially proficient; with the end result of creating shared value with employees, partners and customers. Prior to Edelman, Michael worked for Intel and Hewlett Packard in various social media marketing roles. Opinions posted here are his own. Feel free to follow him on Twitter, subscribe to this blog or read some more of his content on Social Business News.

http://geekmom.blogspot.com Lady Aeval

If social media could kill a brand then microsoft would be dead already. Everyone hates them, yet everyone uses them. I use it for two reasons only and that’s to test the ebooks and develop the mobipocket line we develop so people who use windows can use the ebooks. Otherwise, I stay true to my word and avoid microsoft like the plague.
http://www.skipstonemedia.com/ Roger

this is funny. most people who hate Microsoft don’t even have a valid reason.
http://geekmom.blogspot.com Lady Aeval

I used to do tech support primarily on the Mac. I then worked as a UNIX sysadmin. Then after I left the workforce for awhile to have a baby I came back as a desktop tech where I supported Windows. I’ve known all of them since as long as I can remember, but after working in support for all three and end users who use all three I can tell you that I never want to touch windows again. I’m a die hard Mac person who loves UNIX so the beauty of the Mac and it’s OS with the power of UNIX is like a marriage made in heaven. So I do have a reason, which has a lot to do with my sanity. Windows made me insane for awhile.
http://www.britopian.com Michael Brito

Hey Lady…thanks for stopping by. Do you do any freelance desktop support for a windows machines?? I am having some issues w/my laptop….(jk).
http://geekmom.blogspot.com Lady Aeval

OMG my blood pressure just went up a few hundred notches! I can sell you a damn good book though! ;-P
http://www.kalisoncook.com Kalison Cook

While social media probably can’t “kill” a brand; I do think it can a negative impact in the long run….maybe sales/revenue, brand image, etc.

As more and more people get online and engage with social media, it will become more risky for brands to also engage with social media.

On a side note, I do provide windows support…..and can’t stand Macs – no offense lady – so let me know what you need.
http://www.britopian.com Michael Brito

lol…Kalison, I was kidding about needing support.

Lady – what types of books are you selling?
http://www.britopian.com Michael Brito

Oh, and Kalison, you are right. As social media becomes more mainstream, there will definitely be much more of a risk of engaging with social media. However, I would add that there are already conversations going on today about big brands (both positive and negative); and these brands need to consider whether or not they want a voice their side(s) of the story.

Either they embrace social media with open arms or they ignore it; they cannot just stick their big toes in the pool to test the water. It just doesn’t work that way.
http://geekmom.blogspot.com Lady Aeval

Kalison – no offense taken. My brother hates Macs as well, but he hasn’t touched one since OS 7.

Michael – I publish fiction of all kinds. Click here if you want to see some. Thanks for asking.
http://www.brendonswanson.com/blog/ Brendon Swanson

To address all of these points:

Looking into the “box” you’ll first see that those who utilize social media are a market unto its own. Those who have opinions on particular brands and voice them online are a fraction of the market that uses any particular product. Therefore, the force felt by companies is fractal in comparison to the whole target population.

Some products are generally non-responsive to the Internet as a whole. Products with high brand loyalty are less vulnerable to “reviews” online due to the fact that people don’t care because users believe that their belief regarding the product is the only opinion that matters.

Some products are completely responsive to online review. Movies are probably the best examples. Personally I check reviews online prior to going out to a movie because a series of reviews tells me a lot more about a movie than what the studios want me to know.

Social media will always have an impact on business and brands, but the truth is that the impact is based on two variables: product category and target market. Fill in the blanks and you can create an educated estimation of the impact social media will have on your product or service.

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