Good Buzz, Bad Buzz Brand Management: A Social Media Strategy That Pays Off

As is the case with many other issues in social media, there is good buzz and bad buzz for almost every brand.

For some brands, the gap between good buzz -- spread by product lovers -- and bad buzz --spread by product haters (“brand polarization”) -- is very large.

For others it is very small (e.g., McDonald’s vis-à-vis Amazon).

Source: Harvard Business Review

Brand polarization isn’t necessarily bad. One of the characteristics of bad buzz, for instance, is that it spreads faster than good buzz, as angry customers are more anxious to share their experience with other customers.

At the same time, it stimulates controversy between product lovers and product haters that accelerates good buzz—product-lovers rush to defend the brand. Anyone, for instance, who has written a critical article about Apple in this site understands the point. At least I do, though I love Apple products.

This means that bad buzz can help accelerate good buzz, if managed right.

“Some companies succeed by intentionally antagonizing brand detractors,” write Xueming Luo, Michael Wiles, and Sascha Raithel in the Harvard Business Review. “This can create buzz and reinforce the brand’s connection with its most enthusiastic consumers, because people often feel compelled to defend a favorite product that has come under attack.”

Alternatively, marketers can try to appease brand haters. “One way to reduce polarization is to do what most of us do when confronted with people who dislike us: try to change the hater’s minds,” continues Luo et al. “This is the strategy that usually feels the most straightforward and comfortable. Brand managers who successfully deploy it reduce negative word of mouth and create a larger pool of potential buyers.”

McDonald’s has done this, for instance, by introducing salads and other low calorie menu, and by supporting Olympic Games and children’s hospitals. Starbucks has taken a number of initiatives to turn the “third place” into a “kind place,” as discussed in previous pieces.

In either case, brand polarization management campaigns can pay off. Luo et al, for instance, point to a Kraft campaign for its Miracle Whip that raised sales by 14%.

In addition, brand polarization can help companies distinguish and differentiate their products from competition. That’s why marketers may want to foster it, if it isn’t inherent to these products. As Luo et al put it: “Sometimes a product or brand isn’t inherently polarizing, but marketers may want to introduce polarization in order to differentiate it from a strong competitor or to make it stand apart from a crowded field.”

The bottom line: Brand Buzz polarization may not be a bad thing. With the right social media strategy, it may be beneficial.