http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo

Dave Carroll is a Canadian musician with a wicked sense of humor and apparently “hell hath no fury as a Dave scorned”!

Dave was sitting on a Untied Airlines flight waiting for takeoff, when he spotted a UA baggage handler … throwing his guitar case. Result, a broken guitar and a failure by the Customer Relations department to resolve the matter to Dave’s satisfaction, Check. Dave’s move, Dave made the Youtube video above the experience, Check.

With the video closing on 5 Million views, Chris Ayres, LA corespondent for the Times Online, estimates that the resulting fallout has cost United $180 M or 10% of their market cap. It’s not that United Airlines don’t know how to do customer service really well, Ravesh (see the link) gives them, the thumbs up. However I think it would be fair to say, that this incident has turned out not as they would have liked.

Moral of this Social Media Story.

Social Media has changed the communication landscape. Media is now created by everyone, People are “The Media”. This can work for your business (i.e. lot’s of positive recommendations like Rakesh’s cheery post above)  and against your business (i.e. a video like Dave’s). The best insurance for your business is to develop a Social Media Strategy for your brand or business and use your Social Media presence to build a relationship with your clients and customers. Oh yer… and work hard to solve problems that your clients might be experiencing, lest you cross a customer like Dave.

It’s the Attention Age, do you have it?

Update: United have offered to compensate, Dave says “no, it’s not about the money” and invites United to donate to a charity of their choice.

Does this seem amazing to you Dave an individual is now telling a multi-national Airline what to do. Welcome to the Attention Age, Dave has a lot of people’s attention (currency) and is now in a powerful position, his song is selling very strongly in iTunes (cash, old fashioned currency), and appearances on major networks, newspapers, and plenty of buzz online (more currency), Checkmate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay7hFIYQFnw

Your Move

If you don’t already have a Social Media strategy in place for your business, then it might be a good time to start. Byron New Media are creating a 5 video series on Developing a Social Media Strategy for your Brand or Business it might be a good time now to sign up for the FREE videos and the accompanying overview or you might like to contact us about engaging us as consultant to develop or implement a strategy  for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spiJe8ungmU

Now you can go to Social Media Kit- Developing a Social Media Strategy for Your Business or Brand and register to receive all 5 videos and a free Social Media Strategy template.

Leave us a comment below, let us know how the video helped you or what we left out and what you would like to know more about.