After reading the blog post from Craig about the GASP issue make me questioning whether social media increasing or decreasing brand loyalty?
Social media can be a platform for opinions and reflection of the consumer towards the brand, which sometimes can be negative or positive. So to whom will you trust? the negative or positive? In many cases, experience is the most significant factor that could lead us towards the behaviour. However, what if we happened to haven't experienced the brand on our own? Which side are you on?
Well, you could never know. Like GASP case, I think that brand does really need to apology. That issue is out of the moral values. So, definitely I'm on negative side. What do you think? So does this case and viral news make GASP brand loyalty decreasing? on the other hand it may creates an awareness so that people will curious about this brand and might try to experience it ( e.g : Lindsay Lohan is getting famous because of her bad lifestyle, or maybe Paris hilton )- which can lead to brand loyalty if they like the brand.
A brand could push their PR ( controlled message ) through social media, but still consumer who will drive the WOM. Even though the social media could work so perfectly online, consumer can have different perspective online and offline - depending on their own experience or other factors. However, I would say that if the social media work perfectly, it will somehow change people behaviour towards the brand. Additionally, I would also say that a good brand could establish longer and intimate relationship with the customer rather than the bad one. Therefore, quality ( true brand loyalty ) is better than quantity ( really drives a lot of attention from the consumer ), because love towards the brand does not derives from negative feelings, attitude , and behaviour.
What do you think ?
Positive and negative feelings come from usage of brands and as you say, SM is an ideal platform for consumers to express these feelings. It is up to the brand to determine a good response to either, and they should respond, leaving comments and not responding could create an image of "don't care" from the brand.
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