How Nestle Has Learned To Handle Social Media During Difficult Circumstances
Back in 2010, it became clear that Nestle needed some training in social media management. On the company’s facebook page, fans had begun commenting using profile pictures of an altered nestle logo, and the company was none too pleased about this. So, the company responded asking users to cease using these altered images. The fans, in turn, reacted with accusations blaming the company for policing its page and likening the chocolate-maker to ‘Big Brother.’ Here is a portion of the exchanges that took place:
The problem here isn’t that Nestle sought to protect and control the use of its logo, but rather how the company chose to deal with fans and potential consumers. Clearly, the company needed to take the time to evaluate the dilemma, develop a strategy that corresponded to its business objectives, and execute on that strategy in a way that aligned with the desired outcome. In this case, the dilemma was preventable in that the firm did not have to complain about the altered logos in the first place, the right strategy would have been to ignore the use of these altered logos since they DO NOT constitute copyright infringement, and the execution would have been to try to convert these users to customers/evangelists. Instead, a messy, childish spat occurred that made the company look petulant and rude.
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Fast forward to 2016 and Nestle is once again on the front lines of a controversy- this time about bottled water. Specifically, consumers are angry that Nestle is seeking to profit off of the commodity while many suffer as a result of severe droughts in California. Only this time, Nestle has taken the time to evaluate, develop a strategy, and execute on that strategy in a way that aligns their social media presence with their business and brand goals. Rather than argue with their Facebook fans and others who’ve taken to social media to complain, Nestle has chosen to respond with well-informed and polite posts detailing the ways the company is committed to water preservation. Their strategy is to acknowledge the larger issues, empathize with those complaining, and actually develop material to demonstrate their commitment to the issue at hand. Check out the difference between how Nestle is handling this crisis vs. how they handled that previous example:
They have also gone so far as to develop videos and other multimedia materials that address and demonstrate Nestle’s commitment to the issue, rather than defending themselves and fighting back against the complainers on their social media channels. This tactic is an excellent crisis management strategy in that they evaluated the type of crisis (offline/victim), a strategy (corrective action/mortification with a coherent brand voice), and implemented the strategy in ways that help mitigate the outcry (Facebook comment responses).
Bravo, Nestle! Between 2010 and 2016 you have made great strides in social media crisis management. Now about charging people for water during a drought…
