ABSTRACT
Having spent the best part of a century distancing themselves from the public, companies suddenly found themselves dragged into the middle of the new social media universe and being held to account for their activities. The experience was deeply uncomfortable for brands that were used to influencing consumers from a distance through TV advertising and discourse through public relations. The confusion was even more acute for business-to-business companies that had little if any experience dealing directly with the public. This chapter explores the many instances of how companies (including United Airlines, HSBC, Walmart and Target) have made mistakes in social media communications and the lessons to be learned from those mistakes.
