Since last residency– Notes from the field

Branding & social media

Egypt online activism, Kenneth Cole,

and National Public Radio

Branding 101: Differentiating;

Equity;Loyalty.

Physical goods;

Services;

Stores;

Person;

Place;

Organization; or,

Idea.

Wael Ghonim – Egypt’s “Facebook Hero”

We are all Khaled Said

Welcome to the new Egypt. A new country that started

in Tahrir square. A country of unity, peace, freedom & justice for all. Help us build it. Keep your support. Thanks to all your

efforts & help.

Asmaa Mahfouz: Vlogger for an uprising

Marketing nationalism? Patriotism?

Still part of a TRUTH CHAIN

Issues of power and knowledge;

Stakeholder engagement;

Behavior to satisfy intrinsic needs.

And, as #Cairo trends on Twitter . . .

GIANT fail in alignment with actual brand experience . . .

Apology retweet by Kenneth Cole:

“Re Egypt tweet: we weren’t intending to make light of a serious situation. We understand the

sensitivity of this historic moment -KC”

Fake @Kenneth Cole account set up; tweets such as:

“Our new slingback pumps would make Anne Frank come out of hiding! #KennethColeTweets.”

Kenneth Cole apologizes on Facebook:

“I apologize to everyone who was offended by my insensitive tweet about the situation in Egypt. I’ve dedicated my life to raising awareness about serious social issues, and in hindsight my attempt at humor regarding a nation liberating themselves against

oppression was poorly timed and absolutely inappropriate.

Kenneth Cole, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer”

Another Egyptian-based crisis:

CBS News Correspondent sexually assaulted, beaten

Reaction spreads through social media

CBS posted statement on its website;Committee to Protect Journalists

used social media to protest Mubarak censoring through violence, intimidation;

Esquire blog quoted Logan about being detained, interrogated overnight the week before.

Repercussion for NPR: Reminder of posting etiquette

There's much we don't know about what happened. Until we learn more, for example, jumping to conclusions about her attackers adds nothing to the discussion. They're criminals. Period.

Blaming the victim is an old, tired game. Please don't.

Before you submit a comment, ask yourself this question: If I had to put my real name with this, would I hit "publish?“ If the answer is no, the better move might be to hit "delete."

Multi-stakeholder engagement . . .

CAN accelerate greater transparency of truth/value chain

OR

DOESN’T embody promise and principles

(Can you think of other examples that do or don’t improve experiences?)

Bibliography

Buttinger-Fisher, C., & Vallaster, C. (2008). Connective Branding: Building Brand Equity in a Demanding World. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.

Ehrlich, B. (2011) Kenneth Cole’s #Cairo Tweet Angers the Internet. Mashable: Retrieved 2/16/2011.

Memmott, M. (2011). CBS News’ Lara Logan Was Attacked, Sexually Assaulted in Egypt. NPR: Retrieved 2/16/2011.

Moore, K, & Pareek, N. (2010). Marketing: The Basics. New York: Routledge.