Andy Jarosz of 501places presentation at WTM SOcial Travel Market

1. #TWITTERFAIL – CRISIS MANAGEMENT
IN THE SOCIAL MEDIA AGE
Speakers: Sarah Rathbone
Jeremy Skidmore
Moderator: Andy Jarosz

2. @socialtrav ,#STM2012

3. Going Viral
2009
6th July Video posted on Youtube
8th July 137k views (shared on blogs and Twitter)
10th July 1.7m views (prime-time TV, newspapers, social media)
23rd July Picked up by UK media; 180k daily views
Now 12.5m page views and still going strong
@socialtrav ,#STM2012

4. Twitter’s role
• Story spread by bloggers, journalists, ‘netizens’
• Perfect sharing material
• Shared by key influencers such as @mashable,
@adventuregirl)
@socialtrav ,#STM2012

5. How would you react?
@socialtrav ,#STM2012

6. Scenario
• You are in charge of the Hotel OK Twitter account
• Hotel OK is a chain of 25 seaside holiday resorts, very
popular with British families
• It is Saturday lunchtime and you receive an urgent
phone call about a food poisoning outbreak at one of
your hotels
@socialtrav ,#STM2012

7. Saturday 1.05pm
• 2 guests separately ring the hotel reception complaining
of vomiting and nausea
• Resident doctor suspects severe food poisoning and
calls ambulance
• Hotel launches internal investigation but restaurant still
open
• Rap singer 50 pence staying at the hotel but currently
thought to be unaffected
@socialtrav ,#STM2012

8. @socialtrav ,#STM2012

9. Saturday 3pm
• 10 people now complaining of feeling unwell
• 50 pence ill and taken to hospital. He was seen running
through hotel in distress
• Local and national media at the scene; increasing social
media noise about hotel
• You learn that recent kitchen failed recent hygiene
inspection; improvements were made. Media unaware of
this
@socialtrav ,#STM2012

10. @socialtrav ,#STM2012

11. Saturday 6pm
• One elderly guest has died
• Relative of guest gives tearful interview on national TV
• Rap singer in stable condition
• No more guests have been taken ill in the past hour
• 'Eye-witness' called Davy has become mini-celebrity
appearing on TV and quoted online
@socialtrav ,#STM2012

12. @socialtrav ,#STM2012

13. Sunday 9am
• Hotel receives email from disgruntled ex-employee claiming
responsibility for food poisoning. Media not yet aware of this
• Forensic team say contaminated orange juice may have been the
cause of the problem. Orange juice was consumed by all those who
were taken ill
• Hotel restaurant given a clean bill of health
• Eye-witness Davy continues to attack hotel standards on social
media. He has 500,000 Twitter followers and is well known in the
travel industry
@socialtrav ,#STM2012

14. @socialtrav ,#STM2012

15. With thanks to our partners