I gave a talk on social media to the Rocky Mountain Writers Conference in Denver in mid-January. I focused on how social media will impact everything that we do, both as individuals, and as businesses.
This story landed in my email inbox shortly following my talk:
“Dave Carroll recently had difficulty with United Airlines when baggage handlers damaged his treasured Taylor guitar ($3500) during a flight. Dave spent over nine months trying to get United to pay.
“During his final exchange with United’s customer relations manager, he stated that he was left with no choice other than to create three music videos for YouTube exposing their lack of cooperation. The manager responded: “Good luck with that one, pal”. So, he posted the videos on YouTube.
“The first video has since received over 7,500,000 hits and been featured on CNN. United Airlines contacted him and attempted settlement in exchange for pulling the video. Naturally his response was: ‘Good luck with that one, pal.’
“Taylor Guitars sent the musician two new custom guitars in appreciation for the product recognition.”
Dave’s Videos:
Dave’s Links:
What is the moral of this story? The short answer is Google’s motto: “Don’t be evil.”
How does this impact companies, large and small? That will be the topic of my next post.
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That was a terrific story, and certainly states the case for how social media has strengths far beyond socializing! It’s also a wonderful example of the power of creativity and self expression – the arts can move mountains, or at least United. Thanks for sharing this!