Real-time Marketing & PR: Grow Your Business Now

The next book we are reading in our social media principals class is “Real-time Marketing & PR” by David Meerman Scott.  This book explains “how to instantly engage with market, connect with customers, and create products that grow your business now.”

            The first section of the book, titled, Revolution Time, introduces the rules of real-time marketing and public relations.  The first chapter of the book, Grow Your Business Now, highlights the advantages of speed and agility in the real-time business environment.

            This chapter tells the story of singer-songwriter Dave Carroll and fellow members of Sons of Maxwell, a Canadian pop-folk band.  On a plane flight to Omaha, Nebraska, the band witnessed the United Airlines baggage handlers violently tossing their luggage; including their valuable guitars.  They complained to United of their abused luggage, yet United did absolutely nothing to help the band in their troubles.

             Dave opened his guitar case to discover that his $3,500 Taylor guitar had been smashed.  Livid from his experience with United, Dave spent nine months phoning and emailing the company in pursuit of $1,200 to cover the cost of repairs.  The staff refused to accept responsibility and Dave and his band did not receive any form of compensation from united.

            On July 6, 2009, Dave surely got his revenge when he posted a song on YouTube titled, “United Breaks on Guitars,” to share the saga of his broken guitar for all of the internet to hear:

            United, United, you broke my Taylor Guitar

            United, United, some big help you are

            You broke it, you should fix it

            You’re liable, just admit it

            I should have flown with someone else

            Or gone by car

            ‘Cause United breaks guitars

            Yeah, United breaks guitars

Within just four days, the video reached 1 million views and continued to rack up views overtime.  The YouTube video is a perfect example of media relations, went viral over the next few days.  Up to 100 bloggers a day alerted their readers, who then shared the video to others.  This story is also an example a about real-time market engagement.  Dave took full advantage of the marketing opportunity and spoke with the media in real-time; conducting dozens of interviews in a few days while the story was hot.

            Within days of Dave’s post, Bob Taylor, the founder and company president of Taylor Guitars, posted a video advising traveling musicians how to pack equipment properly while using airlines.  Calton Cases, a specialist maker of highly durable instrument cases for professional musicians, also seized the opportunity to build its brand.  Calton released a new product perfect for the occasion: the Dave Carroll Traveler’s Edition Guitar Case.

            As most of the viewers of Dave’s video were musicians or people interested in music, Taylor Guitars, Calton Cases and even Dave Carroll’s career all skyrocketed in sales and customer/audience interest.  The video also negated the value of tens of millions of dollars in media advertising for United Airlines, as millions of potential customers saw the brand in the worst possible light.  United Airlines may have been able to diminish the situation by apologizing, but instead they chose to make absolutely no response.

            On July 23, The YouTube video reached over 3 million views.  A month later Dave spoke at a U.S. Senate hearing on airline passenger rights. Dave Carroll used his rage with a huge company along with his creative imagination and craft skill to take a powerful shot at United Airlines.  He took advantage of the publicity buy conducting interviews and acting to break down the company’s reputation as much as one man could.  Dave’s story just goes to show that “Scale and media buying power are no longer a decisive advantage.  What counts today is speed and agility” (Scott, 17).