January 25th, 2010

Haiti Disaster Reveals Social Media as Double-edged Sword

By SDialogue Staff

Thanks to the influence of social media, marketers rapidly raised millions of dollars of relief aid – cash and in-kind donations — to earthquake-torn Haiti, which is still reeling from a second quake that hit last week.

As celebrity-packed telethons were launched and Ad Council spots ran 24/7 in support of relief efforts, big brands such as Coca-Cola, Kraft, Wal-Mart and McDonald’s, among many others launched fundraising campaigns via traditional marketing as well as with microsites, Twitter and Facebook. But for some brands, using social media as part of a quick-response CSR tactic was a double-edged sword as this Advertising Age article notes. As companies worked to do good a fog of misinformation arose as quickly as one could tweet.

The story also explains how timing of an initiative worked against AT&T, for example. The telecom giant was first to allow users to text in donations. But because the response by AT&T was so swift, many people missed it. As competitors joined in with similar campaigns, AT&T appeared to be behind the curve. Stepped-up messaging helped fix the problem in the end, and AT&T raised millions in relief aid. All in all, it was revealed that social media tools such as Twitter can be a powerful part of a CSR strategy. In the Advertising Age article, a UPS spokesperson notes that the company was glad to have a social media strategy in place where they were able to effectively communicate with its consumers.

From a sustainability communications perspective, the lessons here reveal the need to have ongoing stakeholder engagement. A steady stream of dialogue with clients, customers, partners and other stakeholders would likely keep clear any misinformation surrounding a company’s good deeds.

For example, stakeholders who are gently reminded of a company’s ongoing CSR and sustainability work through a communications effort that is imbedded in a company’s DNA would likely know that when disaster strikes, the socially responsible company would do the right thing. In fact, stakeholders might even anticipate a company’s good deed as soon as the news hits. So when an initiative is launched, expectations and clarity of intent are already set, allowing for a successful campaign.

For social media specifically, there’s already a desire by stakeholders to be a part of the dialogue. According to a survey of new media users in a 2009 Cone Consumer New Media Study (conducted by Opinion Research Corp.), 44 percent of those polled are searching, sharing or discussing the CSR efforts of companies. For companies who don’t use social media and other communication tools as part of an overall CSR strategy it’s not too late to get started.