Lessons Learned from Mistakes Made

When digital communication goes wrong, it can have serious consequences for a company, from damaging its reputation to causing financial loss. As businesses increasingly turn to digital communication to connect with their audiences, it’s important to be aware of the potential risks that come with this powerful tool. Taking a look at real-life examples of digital communication gone wrong can provide current and future communication professionals lessons from these cases to help businesses avoid similar mistakes.

Be Aware of the Culture

One example of digital communication gone wrong is Pepsi’s Kendall Jenner ad. In 2017, Pepsi released an ad featuring Kendall Jenner joining a protest and seemingly solving a conflict by offering a police officer a can of Pepsi. However, the ad was widely criticized for trivializing serious social issues and cultural appropriation. The lesson here is that businesses need to be aware of the social and cultural contexts in which they operate and avoid using sensitive issues to promote their products. 

Monitor Your Channels

Another example of digital communication gone wrong is McDonald’s #McDStories campaign. In 2012, McDonald’s launched the campaign, asking people to share their positive experiences with the brand using the hashtag. However, the hashtag was quickly took over into a bashtag with people sharing negative experiences and criticism of McDonald’s. This shows the potential for negative feedback and the need for businesses to carefully monitor their social media channels.

Respond Quickly

In 2017, United Airlines faced widespread criticism after forcibly removing a passenger from an overbooked flight. The incident was captured on video and shared widely on social media, leading to a PR disaster. This underscores the importance of having clear policies in place for managing crises and responding to negative feedback in a timely and appropriate manner. 

Get Feedback Before a Launch

Dove’s 2017 ad that appeared to show a black woman turning into a white woman after using Dove soap also received criticism for promoting racist stereotypes. This is a reminder that businesses need to be aware of the potential for unintentional messaging and carefully consider the potential interpretations of their content.

Manage Your Accounts

The final example of digital communication gone wrong is in 2012, a KitchenAid employee tweeted an offensive political joke about Barack Obama from the company’s official account during a presidential debate. While this tweet was widely criticized, KitchenAid successfully managed this social media crisis with a quick public apology from the company. This is an example of the importance of carefully managing access to social media accounts and making sure that employees are fully aware of the potential consequences of their actions.

Simple Steps

In conclusion, these digital communication case studies show the potential risks of getting digital communication wrong. Businesses need to be aware of the potential for negative feedback, carefully consider the social and cultural contexts in which they operate, have clear crisis management policies in place, be aware of the potential for unintentional messaging, and carefully manage access to their social media accounts. By taking these simple steps, businesses can avoid the mistakes of these digital communication case studies and build stronger connections with their audiences.