As tunes go, United Breaks Guitars is pretty catchy.
The latest in global musical phenomena, Dave Carroll’s protest song about United Airlines hit heady heights this week as the disgruntled musician unleashed his tale of woe on the internet.
The incident which sparked his fury happened in March 2008, as Carroll watched baggage handlers in Chicago throw his band’s instruments around with abandon. When Carroll later discovered that his Taylor guitar was damaged, he complained to UA, and sought reimbursement – UA refused his request.
Traditionally, over the year that Carroll had dealings with the airline, word of mouth would probably have meant that a good number of his family and friends heard about the situation.
Now, social networks mean that anyone with a grudge, a video camera and an internet connection can share their displeasure with the world at large: over a year – and much correspondence – later, Carroll has made the unresolved situation public by filming his song United Breaks Guitars and posting it on YouTube. At the last count, Carroll’s song had received around 4 million hits.
What began as a local customer service issue has mutated into a global PR nightmare for United. Everyone from the Guardian to the Wall Street Journal has covered the story, with Carroll seemingly happy to give interviews to all, Radio 4’s Today included. And it might not be causal, but I imagine the press might have had something to do with the 10% drop ($180m) in United Airline’s share price.
The whole episode serves as a timely reminder that the PR team shouldn’t be a discrete part of any business. It’s crucial that they form an integral part of the team.
Had everyone at UA been working in close conjunction, it’s likely that the problem could have been solved before it turned into the consequent PR behemoth. Any complaint has the potential to do damage to a brand’s reputation; the customer service team should have recognised that anyone tenacious enough to keep complaining about one incident over the course of a year isn’t just going to slink away with his tail between his legs.
Following the publicity, UA has announced that they’ll be donating $3,000 to the Thelonius Monk Institute of Jazz, for children’s musical education. It’s a nice gesture, but one that comes far, far too late, and creates one short line in a story about the global humiliation of a large brand.
United Breaks Guitars parts two and three are set to hit the net in the next few weeks. Here’s hoping the share price can take it.
