Twitter and Brand Management: a Case Study

As communications professionals we always try to keep on top of the newest communication tools and how we can use those tools to best serve our clients needs. There’s been lot of conversation in our office lately about Twitter and it seems that we aren’t the only communications agency exploring the best ways to utilize Twitter.

For those unfamiliar with Twitter, it’s an online service enabling users to broadcast short messages (140 characters or less), known as tweets to friends or “followers.” Twitter is a form of microblogging – think of it as a combination of text messaging and blogging. Twitter is a way to engage in intimate, one-on-one communication and is another tool, for those in the world of public relations, to engage in a conversation rather than just letting it happen around you.

Johnson and Johnson recently learned how powerful a communication outlet social networking and media sites like Twitter are becoming. The company posted an ad online for Motrin, which equated carrying a baby in a sling to a painful fashion choice. By the following day, negative reactions appeared on Twitter, bloggers called for a boycott and angry comments filled up online message boards. Some of those offended even created counter ads, which they posted on YouTube. Johnson and Johnson quickly pulled the ad and a company spokesperson noted on its blog that the incident showed “it needed to pay closer attention to the conversations taking place online.”

I applaud Johnson and Johnson for its quick response and the important lesson it learned from the situation. We should all learn from Johnson and Johnson’s mistake – no one can afford to ignore what’s going on online.

~ Nicole