A new year of crisis begins in 2018! The word clouds and trends are generated via Talkwalker Discovery.
1. Manix
Origin of the crisis: Offline
Place of discontent: Twitter
Crisis level: 1
In the Paris metro, Manix released an ad featuring a white woman with a black man:
The poster was poorly received on Twitter, causing discomfort around it.
"Translation of this racist ad: With #manix, we can finally sleep with a Black man without catching AIDS."
Lesson ;
A bit of a micro-controversy. Between the glass half full and half empty.
2. Kerastase
Origin of the crisis: Instagram
Place of discontent: Twitter / Instagram
Crisis level: 1
Instagram controversy for Kérastase, which used Emily Ratajkowski as a brand ambassador. She commented on becoming a new face for the brand, mentioning that hair is an essential part of femininity.
After negative reactions on Instagram, she deleted her post, which did not calm users. In response to the controversy, the brand stated:
""We are sorry if we have offended anyone; it was far from our intention. We recognize that the way this content was presented did not honor the precious message we wish to convey—that everyone is beautiful in their own way. Kerastase is committed to the empowerment of all women and all forms of beauty."
Lesson :
A case where even simple things can be difficult to express when it involves a brand ambassador.
3. H&M
Origin of the crisis: Website
Place of discontent: Instagram / Twitter / Facebook
Crisis level: 3
This was the controversy of the month, possibly even of the year 2018, as the volume of attention was beyond control. The problem arose from a garment sold by the brand, where a Black child wore a sweater with the text "Coolest Monkey in the Jungle."
The whole situation led to millions of tweets, issues with brand ambassadors, and stores being vandalized.
Lesson:
More and more "mammoth" crises.
4. La Redoute
Origin of the crisis: Website
Place of discontent: Facebook
Crisis level: 1
La Redoute created a controversy due to fraud or a technical issue. The problem was that a promotion of €100 off a purchase was offered without a minimum purchase requirement.
The website issued a response to the excitement generated by the offer:
Dear customer,
It was Christmas at La Redoute this morning, and just like you, we love gifts! But this one was too tempting to be true 😉
We were victims of fraud, and obviously, the offer of €100 off €100 purchase cannot be applied. However, there is still an extra -10% on all promotions up to -80% until midnight tonight!!!
The entire La Redoute Belgium team thanks you for your understanding!!
See you soon!
The damage was done, as many customers complained on the Facebook page and in groups.
Lesson :
A case already seen before, notably with Adidas!
5. VietJet
Origin of the crisis: Website
Place of discontent: Facebook
Crisis level: 1
The Vietnamese low-cost airline caused a wave of controversy due to a video and an event conducted on one of its planes. In the video, scantily clad flight attendants accompanied the national football team:
Following the discomfort caused, VietJet apologized for the bad practice.
Lesson:
This seems more like a media crisis than a bad buzz.
8. L'Oreal
Origin of the crisis: Instagram
Place of discontent: Twitter / Instagram
Crisis level: 1
For its next campaign, L'Oréal chose a veiled woman as an ambassador.
The problem was that she had made controversial comments in 2017, notably about the State of Israel. Eventually, she apologized and withdrew from the campaign.
L'Oréal appreciated the move:
We have recently been made aware of a series of tweets posted in 2014 by Amena Kahn, who was featured in a UK advertising campaign.We appreciate that Amena has since apologised for the content of these tweets and the offence they have caused. L'Oreal Paris is committed to tolerance and respect towards all people. We agree with her decision to step down from the campaign.
Lesson:
Always conduct a background check on brand ambassadors.
