Consumers have a major influence on online reputation
On the web, consumers and employees express their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with products and companies. Such comments must be monitored on search engines, blogs, and social media platforms. By Imre Sinka, owner and managing director of the web agency .pulse in Zurich. If a company is caught off guard by market discontent, it can result in significant damage to its image and a loss of revenue.
Anyone can publish their opinion on the web in blogs and forums, on social media platforms (Facebook), through product reviews on Amazon.de or Codecheck.info. These opinions can in turn be found at the top of Google & Co, from where they spread further and influence purchasing decisions:
- For 76 percent of online shoppers, search engines are the most important source of information when making a purchase decision.
- 31 percent of tourism companies' turnover is researched online and booked offline.
It goes without saying that customers do not base their decisions solely on provider information.
Motrin fell to its knees over the weekend
Online brand reputation is significantly influenced by opinions and statements. If a company pays no attention to its online reputation, it can suffer a loss of image and sales. This was the case with Johnson & Johnson's US subsidiary McNeil. In September 2008, it launched Motrin on the market as a medication for back pain for young mothers. Six weeks after the campaign launch, the commercial and Motrin were a national topic in the USA, unnoticed by McNeil.
One Friday evening, a mother posted a negative comment on her blog about the statements in the Motrin commercial. This triggered the "Motrin Mom" wave. A prominent blogger became aware of the issue and tweeted about it. Within two hours, 5,000 tweets were posted by 1,000 people. Over the weekend, the anti-Motrin tweets were edited into a 9-minute video and published on YouTube. The anti-Motrin spot was viewed 95,000 times and 5,900 blog posts were published. The Motrin campaign was already a topic in the major US media on Sunday. The anti-Motrin wave caught the McNeil company sleeping, so that it had no choice but to shut down the website and the campaign.
Motrin's mistake was not the TV commercial, but the fact that the brand reputation was ignored. A catastrophe unfolded before everyone's eyes and no one was prepared for it. Professional brand reputation management that monitors the market, analyzes the statements and reacts in a targeted manner would have prevented major damage.
- For 76 percent of online shoppers, search engines are the most important source of information when making a purchase decision.
- 31 percent of tourism companies' turnover is researched online and booked offline.
It goes without saying that customers do not base their decisions solely on provider information.
Motrin fell to its knees over the weekend
Online brand reputation is significantly influenced by opinions and statements. If a company pays no attention to its online reputation, it can suffer a loss of image and sales. This was the case with Johnson & Johnson's US subsidiary McNeil. In September 2008, it launched Motrin on the market as a medication for back pain for young mothers. Six weeks after the campaign launch, the commercial and Motrin were a national topic in the USA, unnoticed by McNeil.
One Friday evening, a mother posted a negative comment on her blog about the statements in the Motrin commercial. This triggered the "Motrin Mom" wave. A prominent blogger became aware of the issue and tweeted about it. Within two hours, 5,000 tweets were posted by 1,000 people. Over the weekend, the anti-Motrin tweets were edited into a 9-minute video and published on YouTube. The anti-Motrin spot was viewed 95,000 times and 5,900 blog posts were published. The Motrin campaign was already a topic in the major US media on Sunday. The anti-Motrin wave caught the McNeil company sleeping, so that it had no choice but to shut down the website and the campaign.
Motrin's mistake was not the TV commercial, but the fact that the brand reputation was ignored. A catastrophe unfolded before everyone's eyes and no one was prepared for it. Professional brand reputation management that monitors the market, analyzes the statements and reacts in a targeted manner would have prevented major damage.
