SXSW 2013 Sampler

10 The Book of Business UnAwesome
The Flip account replied and basically told Chris he was in the
wrong line, that his question was a customer service issue, and that he
would have to call them. Well, I got wind of this and decided to let
them know my thoughts, specifically that they were representing the
entire company. The least Flip could do was throw Chris a bone and
connect him with someone who could help.
Next thing you know, Chris’s phone rings and the guy who runs
the Flip account is on the other end. You might think he called to
apologize and get Chris a new camera, but no. He actually called
and reamed him out, asking why Chris was causing trouble. The Flip
account manager explained that he provided only PR for Flip and
wasn’t responsible for their customer service.
Listen to me very carefully, PR people, social media consultants,
divas, and gurus: you are not an extension of your clients’ brands; you
are their brands. You are more their brand than most of the people
who work at the company, because you represent the company in the
public eye. Anybody running a social media account for a brand should
have access to answers and resources within the company, or at least
a game plan, for when common issues arise. Otherwise, you might as
well not have the account at all.