A research study conducted by TARP research back in 1999 discovered that on average an unhappy customer will tell 10 people about their experience. In turn, these 10 people will each tell a further 5 people, meaning that a total of 50 people will have heard about their bad experience. Today with twitter and facebook and the plethora of other social media, a new study would surely show that a bad experience is being shared quicker, wider and is way more damaging than ever. Today’s “gone viral” posts don’t necessarily have to accurate, factual or even a bad experience to force a global leader in an industry conduct expensive and dramatic damage control.
The latest being the McDonald’s twitter. A picture was posted on twitter that showed a sign allegedly posted in a McDonald’s store. The sign read, "As an insurance measure due in part to a recent string of robberies, African-American customers are now required to pay an additional fee of $1.50 per transaction." Clearly any person with common sense, would realize this was clearly a fake. But this was get re-tweeted 20 times a second during this month!
McDonald’s, a mega-brand and global leader, can take the hit on this and easily quash it. But my fear is for the small business owner, that can now, more than ever, be at the receiving end of a hoax and a “bad customer experience” re-tweet that could destroy the business and livelihood. This also lends itself to the responsibility of a brand and advertising agency, that undertakes “guerilla” style tactics in their marketing. How many times does a consumer want to watch a video, see “news” or read an ad that is “representing” itself as the truth, only to be told a few days later that it was a part of a “new” campaign to build awareness. I for one, am over being “fooled”. I wonder how many others are finding this form of advertising and marketing a little worrying?
