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Taco Bells Winning Social Media Strategy

  

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Is it possible to defend a claim that what you were selling was not what you claimed it was? For example, if Nike’s customers questioned what was actually in the part of the sneaker that Nike claims to be air, how would Nike prove that it was in fact air? What if someone claimed the songs they purchased on iTunes were elaborate cover songs not performed by the artists that Apple was claiming that they are. While these situations are unlikely to arise, Taco Bell recently had to defend against a law suit claiming that what they referred to as “taco meat filling” only contained 36% USDA approved beef. While the debate and subsequent lawsuit are still being discussed, what is most interesting is how Taco Bell elected to address the situation. With traditional options like making a public statement to the press and hoping that your customers catch the message or launching a costly ad campaign to dispel negative publicity, Taco Bell had to select the best option for them and their customers.

The option they chose was devising a strongly executed Social Media policy that would mitigate the damage that such claims could potentially have on the minds of consumers. By instituting a policy and executing that methodology effectively Taco Bell illustrates how to best manage the whirlwind of negative press that such an issue would cause. In the methods described in this article Taco Bell has provided a tangible example of how they didn’t crush or eliminate an issue, instead managed to be a louder voice. At some point in most emotionally charged arguments it becomes clear that reason and objective thinking have been eliminated from the conversation. The “winner” is generally decided by who is either the loudest or was able to get the “last word” in. Your points may have less validity than the person with the smaller voice but if no one can hear that person’s argument how can anyone agree with it. Taco Bell effectively brought a louder voice and far more built in support for their products than the minority of people who were passionately against Taco Bell in this issue. By formulating and executing this plan they managed to quiet those who attempted to bring negative attention to their brand.