Social media engagement essential
Big business has been fired a warning shot over the perils of ignoring social media.
Domestic appliance brand
Maytag became the victim of a Twitter boycott campaign after failing to fix the £788 washing machine of a blogger called Heather Armstrong, reports Brand Republic.
Ms Armstrong first wrote about her troubles on parenting blog Dooce, claiming that the customer service representative dealing with her case said it would not make any difference if she drew attention to her plight on Twitter.
Following the call, Ms Armstrong opened the micro-blogging tool and called upon her 1.2 million followers to boycott the brand.
"DO NOT EVER BUY A MAYTAG," she wrote. "I repeat: "OUR MAYTAG EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN A NIGHTMARE."
Later on, she returned to the topic: "That brand new washing machine from MAYTAG? That someone has been out to fix three times? STILL BROKEN. DO NOT BUY MAYTAG."
Rival manufacturers take advantage
Following the Twitter campaign, Ms Armstrong was contacted by several rival domestic appliance manufacturers.
But Whirlpool Corporation, owners of Maytag, also made contact later that evening to address her concerns – and the washing machine was fixed the following morning.
Jeff Piraino, manager of the executive offices of Whirlpool in Michigan, even called Ms Armstrong to apologise about the delay.
A growing number of companies are recognising the importance of engaging with
social media tools such as Twitter.
High-profile automakers Ford, GM, Chevrolet and Honda already operate Twitter accounts offering regular brand updates.
Technology companies Dell and Kodak and food outlets Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts also maintain a presence on the popular micro-blogging service.
