Good marketing needs shitstorms
Every success needs a crisis. This is evident in almost no other phenomenon as clearly as in online backlashes.
It is only when criticism erupts unabated that it becomes clear how well a campaign is truly positioned—or whether it can handle the situation with confidence and credibility. That is when it is time to engage in dialogue, take a stand, and weather the debate.
Don't be afraid
Anyone who gets hit by a shitstorm has definitely taken a risk. In recent years, I’ve noticed that many companies are terrified of backlash. And because of this fear, they stick to the status quo, avoid doing anything that strays from the norm so as not to ruffle any feathers, and run the same old campaigns—ones they know for sure won’t cause any harm.
Fear causes even greater damage to companies that haven’t yet fully made the transition to digital communication. They shy away from digital marketing entirely because they think they’re bound to get everything wrong anyway. And to some extent, that’s true. No matter what you do—there’s always someone whose toes you’ll step on.
Failing to take a stand out of fear is the biggest mistake. That leaves it up to others to talk about your brand and the issues you care about. To establish a credible position and build your visibility, it’s essential to take control of your social media marketing and digital communication yourself.
From a Backlash to Gold
A few years ago, the Berlin Public Transport Authority (BVG) demonstrated how to deal with a social media backlash in a creative, humorous, and productive way. When they launched the social media campaign «Because We Love You,» the goal was to create a hashtag that passengers could use to post their favorite BVG moments. But it wasn’t long before numerous commuters and visitors to Berlin took the opportunity to vent their frustrations.
The social media backlash, which lasted several weeks, did not harm the BVG’s image or brand in the least. Quite the contrary. The BVG seized the moment and responded with a great deal of humor and empathy, as well as through a savvy social media team that listened and addressed criticism. Despite the initial backlash, the “#weilwirdichlieben” campaign became a huge success and continues to this day.
Conclusion: The Backlash as an Opportunity
Companies can prepare for social media backlashes. It starts with recruiting. After all, a diverse team is the best insurance against social media backlashes. Diversity brings different perspectives and thus ensures the best possible response to a wide variety of situations. A social media firestorm isn’t necessarily a bad thing in itself—it all depends on how you handle it. Backlash offers opportunities for companies to demonstrate how they respond to criticism—and that they can even learn from it. If a company succeeds in handling widespread criticism with humor, self-criticism, or in some other constructive way, then any backlash can actually become good marketing for the company.
Tijen Onaran’s column appears in every print issue of m&k. Onaran is the CEO of Global Digital Women, author of the *Spiegel* bestseller *«Nur wer sichtbar ist, findet auch statt»* (*Only Those Who Are Visible Are Taken Seriously*), and was named one of the ten most influential people on LinkedIn in 2020. Her topics: diversity and inclusion.
