Nestle has been one of the most criticized corporate entities in recent years in the social media. The company has been accused of being responsible for lowering the water table in certain regions and making water scarce for those who can’t afford bottled water. Nestle is finally able to respond to its social media trials through a tech-savvy team.
Although some of the criticisms heaped on Nestle in the past have been brutal, Nestle made them all the more worse by not responding in a mature manner. For instance, back in 2010 when Greenpeace posted a spoof ad criticizing Nestle, the company tried to have the ad pulled from the cyber space and threatened to adopt legal measures against it.
In the realm of social media, any such threats are naturally denounced and the public, at large, turned against Nestle over such moves. Thankfully, the company has learned a valuable lesson out of this. It has brought together a team which keeps a close look at the social media and responds accordingly.
The team, named Digital Acceleration Team, is based in Nestle’s headquarters in Switzerland. The members of the team are able to track positive tweets about Nestle’s products, such as its coffee, as well as any negative tweets made about the company. They are tasked with “listening, engaging, transforming and inspiring.”
In other words, while the team is mostly meant to gauge the pulse of people online towards Nestle, it may also respond professionally if it sees any particular negative comment or profile gaining traction in the cyber space.
According to Pete Blackshaw, who leads this team, “If there is a negative issue emerging, it turns red. When there is a high number of comments, it alerts you that you need to engage.”
The move by Nestle goes on to show what a critical position the social media has taken in the publicity as well as the brand protection of corporate entities. This is primarily because social media gives everyone a right to speak out.
Source: Reuters
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