Skittles Isn’t The Only Brand Plunging Headfirst Into Social Media Waters

Skittles received a great deal of attention for trusting their brand image to the whims of the social media crowd (see our posts here and here). However, they are not alone to boldly go where no one has gone before. Jack in the Box is also getting a lot of attention for a brand makeover that includes gutsy usage of the social media space.

The mantra for marketers experimenting in the search for brand authenticity in this new social media environment seems to be: “No pain, no gain.” In other words, you have to be willing to take the bad with the good if you are going to make full use of the social media platform. For Jack in the Box, that meant letting a certain number of people openly disparage the brand at the Hang-In-There-Jack website.

It is difficult for any marketer, executive or employee to see their brand being openly beat-up by detractors in the social media landscape, but criticism always has its positive sides in rallying others to support the brand. That certainly seems to be the case with Jack in the Box. The takeaway from the L.A. Times story seems to be the good outweighed the bad in this case.

There will be more bold experimentation by brands utilizing social media in the future. Some will have a good outcome; some will not. However, one thing is clear. Never again will marketers have the degree of control they had in the past to steer brand image as precisely as they would prefer. Social media is an open environment, and as such, there is no top-down hierarchy for precise brand control. That will be a difficult adjustment for some, but an opportunity for others with a higher risk profile, less to lose, or both.