If you’ve ever questioned business’ having social media accounts, read how Crock-Pot saved their brand with Twitter.
Spoiler Alert: If you watch NBC’s “This Is Us” and you are not through Season 2, you may want to stop reading this blog.
If you don’t watch the show “This Is Us”, I’m sure you’ve heard of it. If not, just know it is a series on NBC and it is raved about. This award-winning drama is a heartwarming and emotional story about a set of triplets and their struggles, and the wonderful parents who raised them. This show has done a great job getting its viewers to really feel the plot line, connecting the show to their own lives. Since the viewers fell in love with the characters, it was no question a tragic loss in the show’s family would cause a ripple effect on social media. In their infamous episode where the father, Jack, dies, social media went crazy. It was revealed that he died by a faulty slow cooker that sparked a major house fire. This was very unfortunate for Crock-Pot.
When you think of slow cooker, your first thought is usually Crock-Pot. Crock-Pot, the original slow cooker, is not only a brand but an all-encompassing name for slow cookers. In the show, they never once mentioned Crock-Pot, but since this is such a well-known brand in everyone’s home, their mind automatically went to Crock-Pot. When the episode aired the house fire, viewers took to Twitter to share their heartbreak discussing how Crock-Pot killed their favorite on-screen Dad. Some vowed to throw away and never use Crock-Pot and others warned their friends of their Crock-Pot possibly causing a house fire.
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This was a PR nightmare for Crock-Pot and they handled it like a superhero! They created a Twitter account, @CrockPotCares, to do some major damage control with their consumers. The brand confirmed to TODAY Food that the account is actually Crock-Pot’s first-ever official Twitter account. The brand started to reassure their products are completely safe to use and responded to individuals who needed love and support from the company while grieving the loss of Jack.
Crock-Pot could have gotten really upset and yelled defamation on every rooftop with lawsuits filed. Instead, they played along with the plot while educating on the safety of their products. They didn’t lash out and come off as angry or defensive; they were sincere, friendly, and confident. This situation went from a mess to a positive outlook for Crock-Pot’s brand.
The PR lessons you should take away from Crock-Pot:
1. Have a Fast Response
2. Be Sensitive to Customers’ Feelings
3. Be Factual
4. Have a Crisis Plan
Do you have a PR plan set in place? If not, let us help you put one together!Â
