Social media and instant communications

When Luis Suarez bit Giorgio Chiellini in a World Cup game last night, big brands turned to social media in an effort to join the global conversation.

From McDonalds and Snickers, to Listerine and Trident, brands were quick to tweet light-hearted reactions to the incident.
Cinnamon Toast Crunch tweeted, “Biting is only okay when you’re made of cinnamon and sugar. #BanSuarez #WorldCup”, while TGI Fridays drily posted, “I think it’s safe to say Uruguay was hungry for the win.” As well as the media attention these comments have got, the brands have also succeeded in positioning themselves as fun and current. While this style of social commentary is not necessarily suitable for every brand, a well-timed tweet from a relevant brand can be a good example of effective social media usage.
At a Conversocial event yesterday morning, a group of social media experts discussed social customer service. While the potential of social media to improve customer service, as well as strength of brand, is clear, many companies are still falling short of the mark when it comes to social media optimisation.
The World Cup incident showed which brands are on top of their social media output; they weren’t afraid to take a risk and show humour, factors that the Conversocial panel flagged up as positive attributes.
The panel, which included Martyn Baker, head of sales at Twitter UK, also spoke about the value of using social media experts to protect your brand. While humorous tweets may seem flippant, the panel assured that, on the contrary, they are usually part of a carefully delivered persona that has been created in-line with individual business culture.