Social media is a great tool for building brands, but it's also an excellent way to humble them. A video recounting one traveler's ugly experience with United Airlines has proven the latter, garnering more than 3 million views in less than two weeks and giving the airline some very negative buzz.
Last year, musician Dave Carroll watched as United employees tossed his guitar around on the tarmac, ultimately damaging the $3,000 instrument. After the airline's customer service failed to help, he vowed to write three songs and make videos for each. The first, the slickly produced (and quite catchy) "United Breaks Guitars," has turned into a minor sensation, attracting attention from the maker of the guitar and, of course, the airline itself.
United reached out to Carroll after the video caught fire and made a $3,000 donation to the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, according to Adweek, but the damage has already been done. "United Breaks Guitars" is the third result listed in a Google search for "United Airlines," and the video has caught the attention of the traditional media, expanding its audience -- and Carroll's tale of woe -- beyond web surfers and YouTube fans.
