The beauty of social media is its ability to give the consumer a voice and to encourage two-way conversations. However we are seeing an increasing number of companies barring fans from commenting on their Facebook pages. This raises the interesting issue of balancing brand control with customer feedback – the great social media tug of war.
Just last week we saw Versace revoke the free publishing rights for its 500,000 fans after activists hijacked the page amid claims of the use of sandblasting methods on their denim collections – the technique is known to have killed factory workers in both Turkey and Bangladesh. The Italian fashion brand also deleted all of the offending posts.
In the world of social media, which until now Versace actively embraced, was this the correct course of action? By removing the free publishing rights, the brand severed a fundamental means of communication with both its customer base and those who aspire to wear its designs.
Instead of silencing the entire community, why did Versace not answer the accusations head on? Once the story was picked up, Patrick McGregor, group director of communications for Versace, was able to tell Mashable: “Versace’s denim is manufactured in Italy in accordance with the country’s safety regulations” and therefore the process does not pose a health risk to the workers involved. But this was not posted on Facebook to counter the activists’ accusations. Rather Versace’s actions suggested an admittance of liability, as well as rendering their page, and therefore brand, with a static broadcast presence.
In the real world, any marketing manager would be remiss not to remove derogatory graffiti daubed on the wall of their shop. But online, the suppression of a community can become a bigger story than the original negative comments. With manufacturing ethics such a prominent issue in the public domain today, surely any company reacting to accusations, such as those levelled at Versace, would serve to educate – not only activists but true fans – and silence the controversy. By being seen as a socially aware brand that listens to its consumers and important world issues, a company can replace bad publicity with good PR, and act to solidify brand loyalty.
The need to strike a balance between handling brand reputation and letting the consumers’ voice (good and bad) be heard, will remain a key issue for companies when dealing with social media. The question is, how many will get that balance correct?
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