1. United Strikes A Wrong Chord
Lisa France
Kristina Johnson
Drew Monroe
Kelly Pace
Alicia Van Bourg

2. Core Statement
Although some representatives used
Twitter extensively, United Airlines failed
to have an overarching communication
response that aligned with the “customer
commitments” listed on its website.

3. Evaluating United's Website

4. • United's 12 customer commitments.
• Limits of Liability Statement.
• Lack of Direct Line of Contact for Passengers.
• Online Damage Claims.

5. United’s Twitter Use

6. • Twitter has become a popular social media
resource for corporate businesses.
• “psssst…@UnitedAirlines breaks guitars!” United
response: “This has struck a chord w/ us and
we’ve contacted him directly to make it right.”
• Utilized Twitter to take responsibility for this
incident and let customers know they were trying
to make things right.
• United should be proactive in their response and
not wait for until negative feedback comes their
way.

7. United Airlines, Broadcast Something!

8. • In the month of July this incident
represented 43% of all news for United
Airlines.
• United should have responded to the
video on its YouTube channel.
• United did not identify active YouTube
consumers as a key public.
• Not posting video content minimized the
effectiveness of United’s response.

9. Mainstream
Media Outlets

10. • Use of traditional media outlets for
corporations.
• T.V. appearances, interviews and
comments about the situation were
provided by Carroll.
• No comments or information were given
to the media by United Airlines.

11. Public Perception

12. • Public response to the video was huge: over
27,000 comments on the first video.
• Blogging helped create the "United Breaks
Guitars" viral sensation:
- Peak: 420 blog mentions in one day.
- Average: 67 blog mentions per day.
• Twitter users fueled the conversation.
• Did not strengthen or repair relationships.

13. Recommendations
• Prioritize customer service.
• Develop an online damage claim process.
• Provide a direct contact line for damage claims.
• Respond through the same media outlet from which the
problem originated.
• Provide a link to their YouTube channel on official website.
• Hold a press conference and provide press releases
immediately following the situation.
• Be present in mainstream media discussions and designate a
representative to speak to reporters and appear on television.
• Communicate more effectively and proactively through Twitter.