Keeping Up with Social Media

clipped from www.socialmediatoday.com

This blog has some fascinating posts about social media (blogs, Twitter, Facebook, etc.). One recent article talked about some of the big corporate rumors of the past and lessons to be learned in using social media today.

Pepsi Battles False Rumors

clipped from www.pepsi.com FALSE RUMOR ALERT: PATRIOTIC CANS You've received an erroneous email about a "patriotic can" that Pepsi allegedly produced with an edited version of America's Pledge of Allegiance. The truth is, Pepsi never produced such a can. In fact, this is a hoax that has been circulating on the Internet for more than six years. A patriotic package used in 2001 by Dr Pepper (which is not a part of PepsiCo) was inappropriately linked to Pepsi. Thanks for giving us the chance to clarify the situation and please feel free to share this message with anyone else who may have received the erroneous email. Details of the hoax can be found at http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/undergod.asp.

Pepsi's home page has a link (bottom left) to a "False Rumor Alert" correction, shown here. The rumor has been floating around the Web for years, yet it's a big enough deal for Pepsi to battle with e-mails and a home-page link to debunking info at Snopes.

Ignoring false rumors doesn't work. Companies have to jump in with corrections and lather, rinse, repeat as necessary.

Refuting Rumors Online

clipped from www.scjohnson.com SC Johnson Products, Ziploc® and Saran™, Do NOT Contain BPA Consumers Can Continue To Use SC Johnson Air Fresheners with Confidence SC Johnson Response to Internet Rumor about Glade® PlugIns®

Rumors can spread so quickly online that companies must take immediate action to refute them as soon as they appear. Of course, rumors may still float around days or even years later.

S.C. Johnson refutes rumors with links right on its home page. Get the company's side of the story with just a click--a very smart marketing idea to engage and inform stakeholders.