reasons you can’t avoid #socialmedia (even if you want to)

#1 You Can Be Drawn In

Dionne Kasian-Lew @dionnelew

Even if you want to avoid social media

you can’t.

Sad news for some.

Its pervasiveness & power to reach global audiences instantly creates

DRAMATIC impacts.

There are many reasons you can’t ignore it -

here’s ONE

#1

You can be drawn in

The reality is you’re already involved.

I could pick any number of examples to illustrate the

point -

In 2012 an Australian radio show host said the then Prime Minister’s father died in shame

because of her lies.

That was Sunday.

He later apologised “This was a throw-away thing at a private function, which – I thought it was a private function," he said.

Those who believed the gesture was not good

enough coalesced online.

More than 56,000 people signed up to an online campaign, pressuring

advertisers to withdraw.

That was Monday.

Many did.

Some of those who withdrew included...

Mercedes-Benz Hornsby, Woolworths, Freedom Furniture,

Lexus of Parramatta, Coles, ING, Bing Lee, Mazda, 7-Eleven, Sydney Symphony Orchestra & HCF

BIG NAMES

That cost the radio station up to $80,000 per day.

These businesses announced their decisions online,

mostly via Twitter

Inadvertently brands became

associated with a statement they did not make, but which

contradicted their own or customers’ values.

Those which did not withdraw came under pressure to

explain.

No one in these businesses woke up that morning

expecting to have to pull or justify their marketing.

Who does?

This is the speed & impact of connected communication.

So 3 questions for you -

1.  How would your business respond to a

similar incident?

2. Has your Board or Executive got a policy on when you would & would not withdraw support?

3. Where would you announce the decision?

Your executives should be able to answer every one of

these questions

If they can’t & you’re reading this you probably have a role

in driving that conversation.

(You might want to send them this?)

& think about THIS -

Since BCG says it’s a

$4.2 trillion opportunity

& you’re already involved

... how you

LEverage it - instead

The Social Executive – how to master social media and why it’s good for business will be published globally by Wiley in July 2014 – click here get notified once it’s out – Thank you for listening. Dionne

DION N E K ASI A N-LEW

the socialEX ECU T I V E

how to master social media and why it’s good for business