People United Against Unjustice...

New Media are empowering two-way communication between provider and consumer in a way that was unprecedented before Al Gore invented the Internet.

President Obama’s use on the stump of social networks—like Facebook—to disseminate information and garner support is a case study in itself of the power of New Social Media.

However, today I read a story that is particularly intriguing and amusing. It demonstrates the empowered consumer’s ability to (forcibly, in some cases) engage providers of goods and services, lest they face a backlash of negative PR.

Dave Carroll is a Canadian musician who recently flew United Airlines. Prior to take off, he was alerted by another passenger just in time to see a ramp worker carelessly pitch his Taylor guitar, which was found broken upon retrieval at baggage claim.

After a failed diplomatic attempt to obtain compensation from the airline, Carroll decided to do something about it. He put together a music video—slightly more than four minutes—and posted it on YouTube. The name of the video: “United Breaks Guitars”. According to the Chicago Tribune’s report (reprinted in Monday's Buffalo News), the video has enjoyed some three-million viewers. It also grabbed United Airlines' attention:

“This struck a chord with us…We are in conversation with one another to make what happened right,” says United spokeswoman Robin Urbanski.

For a legacy carrier that has ranked near the bottom on Consumer Reports surveys in recent years, United had better be taking notice. Gone are the days when common people can be silenced and have their complaints fade into oblivion. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and the host of Social Media in Cyberspace simply won’t allow for it anymore. Companies seeking to maintain good PR need to embrace this philosophy and adjust their corporate communication strategies appropriately.

The recent civilian uprising in Iran, and the Twitter-fed coverage that ensued—despite government attempts to quash it—is a bigger and sobering account of the power of the people through New Media. Fortune 500s, governments, and more beware: the communication model is becoming increasingly two-way as we plow on through the twenty-first century.

On a lighter note, enjoy Dave Carroll’s twangy, yet well-shot and amusing video:





Ok, one last thing. Southwest Airlines' blog, "Nuts About Southwest", is a good example of a company embracing New Media. Not only do they have interesting blog posts, but there's a Flickr photo feed and other posted items. Here's one happy Southwest passenger's response to the above referenced video: (after watching this, I think you'll wish Southwest broke his guitar)