A Penny for a Thought...

Reputation  Monitoring & Negative Reviews Social media can be a wonderful tool in promoting a business and connecting with different audiences world-wide. It can also assist in creating quasi-personal relationships with customers, allowing for open communication through private messages, forums, posts and reviews. The globalization of social media can both positively and negatively influence a company's brand, depending on the efforts of said companies to build and repair relationships with customers.  One specific topic that is discussed in chapter 2 (p. 28) of Groundswell ,  by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, is the power of reviews and how they can threaten institutional power.   Thanks to the power of social media,  any one person with a negative comment regarding a product or service, can effectively desecrate a brand. Companies must be vigilant in monitoring and responding to negative feedback.  Where companies originally had to answer ...

Do you like vodka? Are you a dog owner or at least a dog lover? If so Tito's Handmade Vodka has the product for you! Tito's Handmade Vodka has recently launched a program named Vodka for Dog People. This philanthropic endeavor cleverly uses man's (and woman's) best friend to boost sales and build brand awareness by rescuing dogs, re-homing them and sponsoring dog-based events such as Yappy Hours and Puppy Pawties, with all proceeds going to animal welfare groups and no-kill shelters.   We originally learned of this campaign while browsing the aisles in a New Hampshire liquor store (tax free!!). Upon reaching the vodka aisle, we came across a bottle of Tito's vodka with a label that read Tito's- A Vodka for Dog People . At first we were a bit confused (since dogs can't drink vodka) so we did some investigating by going on to the main website and following a link to this adorable video.  The story, as told by founder, namesake, and CEO  Bert "Ti...