We are Social MD comments on whether Nescafe Hungary could have handled competition complaints better
We Are Social MD, Robin Grant, has commented on how Nestle, owner of the Nescafe brand, could have handled the online competition held by the Hungary Facebook page, which led to a social media backlash.
The competition asked for people to put forward project ideas, with entries which received over 20 ‘likes’ on Facebook being put forward to a team of judges.
Multiple complaints were posted on the company’s Facebook page after entrant János Szolnoki, who had posted on his 9gag page asking for 3,000 likes for his entry to help his disabled 11 year old brother and received over 46,000, posted again saying that he has been banned from the competition.
Grant said: “This appears to be a very unfortunate incident for all involved. On the face of it, it appears Nestle did nothing wrong, but still ended up facing the wrath of a significant portion of the Hungarian public.
“Digging deeper, it's clear that not only could Nestle have been clearer about the mechanics of the competition but also they also could have responded to the incident in a more timely and empathetic manner, which would doubtlessly have meant a more understanding reaction from the public. Another hard learned lesson, if it was needed, that shows that brands need the processes, training and infrastructure in place to be able react to social media crises in real time and with a human voice.”
Nescafe has now released a statement online following complaints.
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