A selection of the most spectacular meltdowns in social media by companies operating in Asia-Pacific during 2013.

1. THE TOP 10
SOCIAL MEDIA
#FAILS IN ASIA
2013
HONG KONG | December 2013Charlie Pownall | CPC & Associates Ltd
CPC&

2. Here’s my take:
• A public meltdown caused by an organisation’s poor or
inappropriate use of social media
• Weak or non-existent use of social media in the face of a
crisis or external threat.
The following incidents have been selected principally on
account of the scale of their impact. They are listed in no
particular order.
CPC&
What is a ‘social media fail’?
© 2015 CPC & Associates Ltd. All rights reserved 2

3. The #fail
Gurgaon, India-based restaurant & pub
responds furiously to a customer party’s
complaint of ‘horrid’ food, service and
sexual discrimination. One member of
the party was subsequently threatened
with a defamation action
The impact
Highly damaging national and
international mainstream media
coverage and online buzz, sharply lower
rankings on review sites
The lesson
Product and customer service overhaul
needed. Social media amplifies poor
‘real-world’ products, service and
behaviour
Get the story
1
CPC&
Lemp Brewpub ‘horrid’ customer service
© 2015 CPC & Associates Ltd. All rights reserved 3
1

4. The #fail
Staff at Kuala Lumpur-based delicatessen
get into aggressive altercations with
customers on Facebook
The impact
Extensive negative domestic and
international media coverage and online
buzz; loss of sales
The lesson
The Customer is King; social customer
service must be handled as carefully
‘traditional’ customer service
Get the story
Image credit: meimeichu
CPC&
Les Deux Garcons abuses customers
© 2015 CPC & Associates Ltd. All rights reserved 4
2

5. The #fail
Korean smartphone manufacturer is
discovered enlisting Taiwanese students
to ramp its own products and slam those
of competitor HTC anonymously
The impact
USD 340k fine and a mountain of local
and international negative media
coverage and online buzz
The lesson
Disclose your identity in social media.
Trust is fickle and can be lost instantly
Get the story
CPC&
Samsung astroturfs HTC in Taiwan
© 2015 CPC & Associates Ltd. All rights reserved 5
3

6. The #fail
Having called out Apple on its consumer
return policy on TV, an erroneous tweet
suggests China’s state broadcaster is
paying bloggers to further damage the
firm
The impact
Significant domestic online scorn and
negative international media coverage
The lesson
Disclose your identity in social media.
Getting others to do your dirty work
online can easily come undone
Get the story
Image credit: Beijing Cream
CPC&
CCTV astroturfs Apple in China
© 2015 CPC & Associates Ltd. All rights reserved 6
4

7. The #fail
A Facebook-based gaming promotion for
Singapore budget airline Scoot’s first
birthday suffered technical hitches. With
some participants gaining preferential
treatment, hundreds of participants took
to Facebook to complain
The impact
Thousands of negative online comments
and substantial trade and mainstream
media coverage
The lesson
Make sure promotions work properly,
and treat all participants as equals
Get the story
Image credit: Fashion Ferno
CPC&
Scoot bungles app promotion
© 2015 CPC & Associates Ltd. All rights reserved 7
5

8. The #fail
McDonald’s Hello Kitty limited edition
promotion in Singapore suffers a
backlash as stocks run out, notably of the
Singing Bone character, and profiteering
ensues. McDonald’s subsequently failed
to manage online customer frustrations
effectively
The impact
Considerable negative online buzz and
media coverage
The lesson
Manage customer expectations properly
across all channels
Get the story
Image credit: The New Paper
CPC&
McDonald’s mismanages promotion
© 2015 CPC & Associates Ltd. All rights reserved 8
6

9. The #fail
Domino’s much hyped new ‘Game
Changer’ product underwhelms
Australians by proving to be little more
than a set of new toppings. Domino’s
appear to delete negative feedback on
Facebook
The impact
Widespread local negative online and
mainstream media coverage
The lesson
Make sure rhetoric matches reality. Don’t
delete negative feedback
Get the story
CPC&
Domino’s Pizza mishandles product launch
© 2015 CPC & Associates Ltd. All rights reserved 9
7

10. The #fail
Philippine fast food chain Jollibee’s
launch in Singapore is marred by
allegations of racial discrimination
against Singaporeans by political blog TR
Emeritus
The impact
The allegations are comprehensively
dismantled by a local blogger, resulting in
massive publicity for Jollibee and a
launch that far exceeded its expectations
The lesson
Activists can only expect to win public
support if they have their facts straight
Get the story
Image credit: Daniel Ang
CPC&
Jollibee recruitment boycott backfires
© 2015 CPC & Associates Ltd. All rights reserved 10
8

11. The #fail
Hong Kong-based herbal medicine chain
Hoi Tin Tong fails to respond quickly to an
online video purporting to show mouldy
jelly being prepared for sale, quickly
followed by a study finding that its turtle
jelly signature product has very little or
no turtle shell
The impact
Badly damaged reputation and significant
loss of sales. The company is now talking
of shuttering stores
The lesson
Move fast to disprove allegations using
all channels, including social media
Get the story
Image credit: South China Morning Post
CPC&
Hoi Tin Tong fails to rebut allegation
© 2015 CPC & Associates Ltd. All rights reserved 11
9

12. The #fail
New Zealand diary firm Fonterra’s recall
as a result of a botulism scare failed to
involve any meaningful use of social
media, not least in China where the firm
has substantial business interests
The impact
Fast escalation of issue in multiple
markets, with online questions and
comments going unanswered and
rumours unchallenged
The lesson
All organisations must be properly
prepared for crises being played out on
social media
Get the story
CPC&
Fonterra botches botulism scare response
© 2015 CPC & Associates Ltd. All rights reserved 12
10

13. 1. Fix the business problem
2. Deliver flawless customer experience
3. Handle issues and crises competently
4. Behave ethically online
5. Focus on relationships, not numbers
6. Realise social media is not a vacuum.
CPC&
6 ways to avoid a social media #fail
© 2015 CPC & Associates Ltd. All rights reserved 13

14. QUESTIONS?
COMMENTS?
CPC&

15. CONNECT WITH ME:
@cpownall
charliepownall.com
CPC&
© 2015 CPC & Associates Ltd. All rights reserved charliepownall.com