This document summarizes a case study analyzing negative social media sentiment towards a controversial Red Bull advertisement aired in South Africa. The ad received over 65,000 YouTube views but was removed from TV due to complaints. It generated over 789 comments on social platforms and 13 news articles within two days, with a majority negative sentiment score of 0.9/5. The brand faced backlash worldwide, especially in South Africa, US and UK. While Red Bull withdrew the ad, they did not issue an apology, exacerbating the damage to their online reputation. The case study demonstrates how quickly negative word-of-mouth can spread and impact a brand on social media.

1. How to upset the
Twitterverse
A saidWot Case
Study
March 2012
Compiled by @etta_howell

2. The Formalities
This Case Study is based on all comments received the 13th and 14th of
March 2011.
It is based on all comments from around the world.
This case study was not compiled for a specific brand, but purely out of
curiosity and a burning passion to showcase the impact of Online
Reputation Management.
If you would like more information about saidWot, please contact us:
www.saidwot.com/contact-us

3. The Story
On the 12th of March 2012, Red Bull aired a controversial advertisement on
prime time South African TV.
The advertisement has since received
65 411 views on YouTube, but was
removed from TV screens due to a large
number of complaints.
Here are the details...

4. Where did the conversation take place?
789 comments posted
on Social Media
Platforms
8 articles posted on News
sites
5 posts on Forums
3 articles posted on
Websites

5. Said What?

6. Sentiment
Majority of the coverage received over the two days was
negative, although positive comments increased on
the 14th.
The reputation score also came to 0.90/5, which displays
the negative perceptions surrounding the brand.

7. Where on earth are they?
The advertisement was discussed worldwide, with majority of the comments
and shares originating from South Africa, the USA and the UK.

8. Where did they leave a mark?
653 Tweets
127 Status
updates
3 HelloPeter
complaints
8 FriendFeed
posts
2 Articles on
Independent
Online 2 Articles on
Times LIVE

9. Social Media Infuencers
Majority of the individuals speaking about the brand have a low number of
followers and fans.

10. What did they say?

11. What did they say?

12. Trending Topics
Catholic opinions: 112 comments, including links to articles.
Advertising Standards Authority and Broadcasting Complaints
Commission: 53 comments.
The ASA and BCCSA also received over 40 complaints in just 48 hours.
3 individuals stated that they received feedback from the authorities or Red
Bull, ensuring them that the ad will not be aired again.

13. Trending Topics
Popular hash-tags used include #redbull, #redbullad,
#advertising, #teamjesus, #brandfail and #fail

14. How much was it worth?
Each article or comment about the advertisement was worth
R516.27
Overall, about 2 078 003 people worldwide saw comments about the ad in only
2 days.
The negative comments alone were seen by 905 591 people worldwide.

15. The outcome?
Red bull finally withdrew the ad from being aired again, although the negative
impact on the brand’s online reputation was already made.
The brand did not publically post any releases, replies or apologies,
increasing the negative impact.
This situation may also lead to a loss in sales due to a large number of
individuals stating that they will now boycott the brand, and are also urging
others to do the same.

16. More Information
We have all the data and analysis available that went into writing this case
study. If you are interested in receiving this, please contact us on the
details below.
If you want to know what is being said online about your brand, then
contact us on the details below and we will gladly set up a demo account
for you.
South Africa: United States:
Tel: +27 11 021 8740 Tel: +00 (1) 704 450 2403
Email: infosa@saidwot.com Email: infous@saidwot.com
Web: www.saidwot.com