When a big, successful brand today exits social media
This week, WKND magazine is running a story on those who’ve opted to live in a sphere of life called “social (media) boondocks”; they are not holding the reins of the most-vaunted threads of the new millennium: social media accounts/ handles… or if they did, they’ve chosen to — bucking social (media) pressure — let go.
It may sound mystifying to many who live their lives on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, documenting daily bits of their life via photos and words, voicing thoughts and opinions across these platforms, or (at the very least) “following” newsmakers, celebrities and influencers. “How can it be possible?” someone wondered aloud at a meeting. “How can a real person be disconnected from social media?”
As if on cue (and almost providentially), a few days ago (while the abovementioned story was being fine-tuned and sent to press), a corporate entity decided to go off social media. JD Wetherspoon — branded Wetherspoon — owns 900 pubs and a few hotels across the United Kingdom; the company is listed on the London Stock Exchange, and turned in revenues to the tune of £1,660.8 million last year.
Wetherspoon is clearly a success story. Yet, it’s cocking a snook to a new-age organisational trend: the mantra that if a company doesn’t have a life on social media, it may as well down its shutters.
Ironically, the chain’s chairman, Tim Martin, took to social media to announce the decision. “We are going against conventional wisdom that these platforms are a vital component of a successful business… It’s becoming increasingly obvious that people spend too much time on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, and struggle to control the compulsion,” he put this up on the company’s Twitter page — but soon, it did a vanishing act because (obviously) the account was deleted.
Predictably, there has been a flood of opinions. Most (self-appointed) “observers” and “analysts” believe the move is akin to professional hara-kiri. Leading dailies and news agencies are zeroing in on Wetherspoon as a case study. A dubious few are pointing out it could be a publicity stunt. So, what gives? There’s a number doing the rounds online. Reportedly (and I’m assuming this is based on empirical data), 71 per cent of consumers “are more likely to recommend a brand to others if they have a positive experience with it on social media”. My thoughts: yeah, sure, but a recommendation will only get you an entry point; you need to do good, old-fashioned delivery and follow through from thereon.
A bit like apples and oranges, but I couldn’t help revisiting an era, when, as a journalist in India, I had done several stories on a particular “emerging” subject. In 2004/2005, retail was “perceived” to be undergoing a revolution; the friendly neighbourhood kirana shops (the go-to term for grocery stores in Delhi) were under threat from organised ‘branded’ retail — those one-stop swanky floors of merchandise… merchandise that reeked of globalisation, and floors that smelt of lavender or jasmine (whichever type air-fresheners were being used). Anyone who called himself/herself urbane and modern felt there was no way customers would be able to resist this lure: other than the sheer convenience of having everything laid out in a clear, linear fashion, price tags in place, you could now shop for rice and potatoes in your slinky heels, and not feel out of place for a moment… plus pick up the latest Fairtrade variety of shower gel on your way out.
They forgot something crucial — and that’s the reason why kirana stores are still so sought after in India even today: integrity, goodwill and the importance of personal touch in a sector that’s considered “transactional”. Yes, branding is important; yes, visibility is important; but those are like tips of the iceberg. Dig deeper, and you hit the mammoth reality of marketplace dynamics: the bedrock is the relationship between buyer and seller. The rest of it is just ambience: relevant, sure; critical, never.
Social media is a bit like that. You can dress up a brand — or a corporate entity — with filtered photos, and get a wordsmith to generate captions that’ll put poetry to shame; you can be more regular than sunrise and sunset with your updates; and you can give the customer the impression that he/ she “owns” the brand because he/she has insights into every little detail it encompasses (starting from how the CEO walks his dog in the morning to breaking news about first-quarter profits). But you can never replace loyalty and goodwill. And those don’t come factory-fitted in social media followings. A brand has to put in heart and soul, and ears, in order to acquire a genuine following.
Getting back to Wetherspoon, chairman Martin has added — in the same social media post that has now been deleted — that the company will “still be as vocal as ever through our Wetherspoon News magazine, as well as keeping the press updated at all times. We will also be maintaining our website and the Wetherspoon app and encourage customers to get in touch with us via our website or by speaking with the manager at their local pub.”
I have a feeling he and his company have nothing to worry about — as long as they have their heart in the right place… and go about business as usual.
The reason why kirana stores are still so sought after in India even today: integrity, goodwill and the importance of personal touch in a sector that’s considered “transactional”