Watch the latest angry-customer viral video: An airline passenger stuck on a plane, who interviewed the pilot and put it on YouTube. Read the comments here and here.
This is the latest in a series that features Comcast, AOL, and … your company?
Important lessons for all businesses:
- Every one of your customers is holding a camera (on their phone). In a year or so they will have a video camera.
- Everything you do is on the permanent record … there are no isolated bad-service incidents. Companies that treat people poorly will hear about it in reviews, messages boards, and videos.
- Bad news travels fast … but how does the good news get out there?
Start thinking about ways to get the positive experiences and happy moments on the permanent record. Video booth in your stores? Asking fans to post their favorite moments?
I recommend being cool and friendly to all the people, all the time.
P.S. Congrats to David Ollila of V.I.O., Inc. who did the video — and sells the camera used to make it. You hit the viral promotion home run … with a genuinely relevant demonstration instead of a silly gimmick video.
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{ 4 comments }
I think this guy is abusing his technology and has a holier than thou attitude. We shouldn’t give him airtime.
Just my $.02
I have to disagree with jer979. He completely played by the rules here by staying out of the cockpit, and therefore not violating any laws. He simply used technology available to him and others to record his communication with the pilot. He was completely transparent with this recording and all parties knew this up front.
There is nothing holier than thou about questioning being stuck for several hours on a hot plane with no air conditioning. We’re seeing this as a growing trend in the airlines industry, and this video preserved the interaction exactly as it happened for the permanent record.
The fact that he owned the company that made the video device is a bonus. He obviouly realized an opportunity after the fact, and more power to him.
I wouldn’t call it a home run just yet. I watched the video here from your site and found I didn’t agree with him. To me he seemed to have an ulterior motive, working for the camera company, and his seemingly exaggerated aggressive attitude kept me from viewing him as a victim.
So I followed it to youtube. Every single comment I saw was against him. They also outed him as the president of the company, pointing out that using “an employee” was a weasel move.
Ultimately, I think it’s great for such an unknown company to score a viral video but I wouldn’t use this as a good example.
This is not viral marketing — it’s snake oil selling at it’s worst. It’s one thing to have a legitimate concern but another to fabricate one out of an already poor situation. Health concern? His camera documented nothing of the sort. This is nothing more than a poorly executed PR stunt — hardly a home run.
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