A Facebook promotion to receive free Timothy’s Coffee K Cups depleted stocks faster than expected, resulting in unhappy customers and a public relations nightmare for the company which lacked a solid understanding of the power of social media, according to Ragan’s PR Daily. For the full story, click here.
Editor’s Insight: Social media is a very powerful tool which product marketers are only beginning to understand. Consumers love finding about free products on their smart phones.
As this experience demonstrates, marketers need to be prepared for all possible scenarios when the promote giveaways via social media. There is a learning curve to using social media, but that doesn’t mean vending and refreshment service operators shouldn’t embrace it. Social media is becoming part of people’s lifestyles. 01-10-12 By Elliot Maras
