COMMENTS
Seems to me that Kenneth Cole was trying to piggyback on the trending topic of #Cairo by somehow relating it to their own promotion. That really backfired - should be interested to see how long this negative buzz impacts their business.
This takes "self-absorbed" to a new level. It was more than a mindless, off-the-cuff Tweet - they customized the bit.ly, which only magnifies their thoughtlessness. Yes, a PR professional can try to "mitigate" the damage, but there is an underlying problem here that is not easily addressed.
Ouch. It seems like the damage is done. I don't know what else they could have done to mitigate this. I think offering any aid to Egypt would come across as a hollow gesture. I'm not sure social media savvy people would buy it. It just goes to show how important responsibility in social media is for a company's reputation.
From what I understand, they did not delete the orignal twitter post. So that means they were ready to face all the criticism. Right move on that one.
Kenneth Cole is known for his tongue in check ads and through them promoting causes he believes in. It's unfortunate that he misjudged this so badly and it will be interesting to see what the business impact will be.
Who wants to bet that KC store traffic doesn't spike this weekend? This whole thing is so ironic because KC's humanitarian homilies have been in the window of his shop on Union Square (S.F.)for years. So was he phony about the homilies or the Tweet?
Then of course, there is the often quoted and somewhat trite PR perspective that any publicity is good publicity.
I'm not really into the fashion industry (yes, I admit it) and I had never heard of Kenneth Cole. Now I have. My impression of his brand is not favorable now - not that it matters to him or to me.
Just another PR stunt - but it has been noticed. Getting noticed is half the battle. Now if his PR machine can harness the attention and turn negative to positive, it may even be seen as being a good stunt. If his people are clever, then the game is not over yet.
Creating the positives could be a challenge though.
Could make an interesting case study in about 3 months time.
I guess we'll see...
How awful. I hope it was an intern who didn't actually see the news or given the state of education, understand what she or he heard, read or saw of the terrible tragedy.
Here's a follow-up response and recommendations to him: Kenneth Cole & Every CEO: This Is Your Social Media Wakeup Call: http://bit.ly/e1S94p
Got the tounges wagging though didn't it. The problem with Social Media is any idiot can have their say.
Updates or statuses relating to serious stuff around the world can be truly offensive especially if it involves Human Rights and death. They should have thought of it before posting. A big No-no for everyone.
This shows that social media is very sensitive. And every single user has to respect this sensitivity in a responsible manner.
It's not about sharing, but it's about understanding popular sentiments. Any update or tweet on any serious global event can really lead to create negative feedback. Therefore, the need is to understand the seriousness of the topic, and treat it with same seriousness.
So true, Kapil. It was worse than insensitive or offensive, it was cruelly callous. Every time I see it, it makes me angry and ashamed that someone who has capitalized on the land of the free would exploit a human catastrophe to move some product from the new spring line.
Word of mouth advertising travels faster than ever...this is exactly what so many businesses / brands are worried about when it comes to participating in social media. However, there is a simple solution...stop and think before you speak, or "tweet"
Your comments about Egypt were not funny at all. Over 300 people were murdered standing up for their right to live free. I will never buy your product again.