#TWITTERFAIL – CRISIS MANAGEMENT IN THE SOCIAL MEDIA AGE

Speakers: Sarah RathboneJeremy Skidmore

Moderator: Andy Jarosz

@socialtrav ,#STM2012

@socialtrav ,#STM2012

Going Viral20096th July Video posted on Youtube8th July 137k views (shared on blogs and Twitter)10th July 1.7m views (prime-time TV, newspapers, social media)23rd July Picked up by UK media; 180k daily viewsNow 12.5m page views and still going strong

@socialtrav ,#STM2012

Twitter’s role

• Story spread by bloggers, journalists, ‘netizens’

• Perfect sharing material

• Shared by key influencers such as @mashable, @adventuregirl)

@socialtrav ,#STM2012

How would you react?

@socialtrav ,#STM2012

Scenario

• You are in charge of the Hotel OK Twitter account

• Hotel OK is a chain of 25 seaside holiday resorts, very popular with British families

• It is Saturday lunchtime and you receive an urgent phone call about a food poisoning outbreak at one of your hotels

@socialtrav ,#STM2012

Saturday 1.05pm

• 2 guests separately ring the hotel reception complaining of vomiting and nausea

• Resident doctor suspects severe food poisoning and calls ambulance

• Hotel launches internal investigation but restaurant still open

• Rap singer 50 pence staying at the hotel but currently thought to be unaffected

@socialtrav ,#STM2012

@socialtrav ,#STM2012

Saturday 3pm

• 10 people now complaining of feeling unwell

• 50 pence ill and taken to hospital. He was seen running through hotel in distress

• Local and national media at the scene; increasing social media noise about hotel

• You learn that recent kitchen failed recent hygiene inspection; improvements were made. Media unaware of this

@socialtrav ,#STM2012

@socialtrav ,#STM2012

Saturday 6pm

• One elderly guest has died

• Relative of guest gives tearful interview on national TV

• Rap singer in stable condition

• No more guests have been taken ill in the past hour

• 'Eye-witness' called Davy has become mini-celebrity appearing on TV and quoted online

@socialtrav ,#STM2012

@socialtrav ,#STM2012

Sunday 9am

• Hotel receives email from disgruntled ex-employee claiming responsibility for food poisoning. Media not yet aware of this

• Forensic team say contaminated orange juice may have been the cause of the problem. Orange juice was consumed by all those who were taken ill

• Hotel restaurant given a clean bill of health

• Eye-witness Davy continues to attack hotel standards on social media. He has 500,000 Twitter followers and is well known in the travel industry

@socialtrav ,#STM2012

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