When you know that the social networks have given the users the perfect place to voice their opinion, you better steer clear of all trouble. Nestle is the current example and see how the people on the firm’s Facebook page have flooded it with complains. The page was till yesterday filled with fans praising their favorite product from the brand but a recent controversy regarding the use of palm oil turned the love into hate.
The issue is that the confectionary goods manufacturer is reportedly said to have been using palm oil from rainforests in Indonesia that aren’t managed. This is resulting in deforestation in the country, something which sparked off Greenpeace to become active. The response from Nestle itself in this connection has been very immature and appear to be very artificial. I just went across the page and it has failure written all over it. I bet Nestle would be cursing their attempt to go all social with this initiative, especially given the fact that they have absolutely no one to counter the comments and status updates left on the page. The very description appears so juvenile to say say the least:
Social media: as you can see we’re learning as we go. Thanks for the comments.
The problem now is that they can’t remove the page, nor they can counter this criticism effectively and calm the people. The better thing to do here for Nestle will be to get a reputable person over to the page and write responsibly and apologize. At the same time ensure that Nestle would try and do something regarding the issue. But please get the best person out there.
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