United Breaks Guitars - Understanding Social Customer Service

I have been on this quest to understand Social Marketing and Business and how the two meet.

I had a slight epiphany tonight while re watching the Dave Carroll video, "United Breaks Guitars".

While we know that Dave was approached after the fact by United to try and make amends, what caught me of guard tonight is the video I found by Bob Taylor of Talyor Guitars. See it here

While the original video has over 5.6 million views the Taylor corporate video has an impressive 180,000+ views. That's a lot of customer contact is what I thought.

Bob does a great job of covering empathy for Dave Carroll, making references to material on their web site, and extending empathy to other guitar players who have suffered similar fate. He makes reference to material they have on their site from TSA about carrying guiatrs on planes and suggests to avoid problems travellers should print and carry these rules to educate airline employee's. He closes with a subtitle but strong message about a new service that Taylor Guitars now offers to repair not only their guitars, but other manufactures guitars.

It hit me, Wow what a great way to play off the idea that your product is in the news and when it gets viral like Dave Carroll's video that you leverage that to reach out to new and potential clients the way Taylor Guitars has.

I think it is a brilliant use of Video for a corporation and demonstrates how to reach out in a social media way.

Thanks for listening...