A Brand Managers Guide to Losing Control Essay Example

attack.Being kind to fan communities during good times can have benefits for companies. These communities of organized consumers can act as a ready group to defend the brand when something negative arises. It is also wise for companies to monitor social media for complaints and intervene when necessary. Marketers can leverage actual fans by sourcing brand messages from them and receiving product ideas, such as Frito-Lay's "Do Us a Flavor" contest which takes place across various social media platforms. The winner of last year's competition earned $1 million for their idea of cheesy garlic bread-flavored chips that the company now sells, with this year's submissions including Smoky Brisket and Taking.

According to Fourier and Avery, readily available information on the internet has ushered in an era of transparency, turning many consumers into amateur journalists. This presents a challenge for marketers since consumers are no longer satisfied with glimpses behind the curtain; they want complete exposure of brands' activities and any hypocrisy present within them. Consumers are quick to identify brand hypocrisy, particularly advertising that contradicts practice.

This poses a problem for parent companies with multiple brands, exemplified by Milliner's marketing initiative Dove Campaign for Real Beauty. Though it won two Cannes Lions Grand Prix Awards, customers quickly noticed that Milliner also markets slimming aids (Slim Fast) and skin-lightening cream (Fair & Lovely).In the world of open source branding, it is important to recognize that controlling information flow is not possible. It may even worsen a situation when customers criticize a product on platforms like Yelp and Facebook, leading to revelations that spread like wildfire across the internet. Instead of fighting back, brand managers should consider allowing customers

to express their views freely and determine how to react based on feedback. The Age of Criticism has caused a power shift between companies and consumers, as anyone can critique a product online with immediacy. To address concerns quickly, some companies employ social media managers who monitor Twitter for complaints and reach out to disgruntled customers in real-time. Accepting responsibility and apologizing can improve a brand's reputation by reducing response times, which turn negative events into positive ones according to Avery. Social media managers have an opportunity to prevent frustrating experiences of feeling ignored or unacknowledged by improving response times and issuing updates about service glitches and apologies via @Communicates Twitter feed regularly.In the Age of Parody, anyone with a Youth account and camera can create satirical spoofs of advertisements. This poses a challenge for traditional brand managers who view their brands as sacred assets that are taken seriously. However, brands are often used as vehicles for humor in social media culture, which can have detrimental effects on companies that do not anticipate mockery.

Fourier and Avery discuss a H. J. Heinz Company contest that generated numerous videos deriding the contest. Marketers must accept that consumers will poke fun at their advertisements and should create ads that lend themselves to lighthearted lampoons.

Spoofing Masterpiece's "Priceless" campaign is common on Youth's platform and can reinforce the brand without causing harm. Although spoofs of Snuggle infomercials typically make no mention of Mastered, including the "priceless" tagline in these parodies reminds viewers of the original ads.

The intentionally silly nature of Snuggle infomercials led to countless consumer-created parody videos, ultimately increasing brand recognition. The overarching message conveyed by The Uninvited Brand

is that managing and controlling a brand are not necessarily one and the same.

Avery suggests that brand managers consider collaborating more closely with public relations managers, who are accustomed to responding in real-time to events beyond their control.Avery stated that the absence of control could be unnerving for brand managers since it implies that external parties are shaping their brand's story.