“Oh God, Bob!” I heard my husband exclaim from his computer chair. “Why would you post that?”
Alarm bells were ringing in my head, but before I could make it to the desk — “Wait! Why is it saying I posted a comment? I didn’t post anything!” — it was too late. Hubby had fallen victim to the latest Facebook hack. Luckily, he was at least savvy enough not to click on the pop-up window that resulted, asking him to take a “quick survey” in order to post his comment.
How did these scammers outwit a guy who’s smart enough to have an MA in linguistics — not to mention smart enough to have .married me? The answer is simple and devious. By making it look like Bob, an army buddy of my husband’s and one of the sweetest, gentlest guys we’ve ever met, posted an especially nasty gross-out picture with an accompanying potty-mouthed comment, the hack shocked him into bypassing his critical thinking skills for a moment. What these hackers know is that shock works. Anger attracts, disgust attracts, full-on revulsion attracts. It’s the classic MO of the Internet “troll:” if you want to get a reaction, go for the negative. Recent Facebook and Twitter hacks that have unfortunately succeeded in going viral have included purported videos of gruesome current events from Osama Bin-Laden’s shooting to the assault allegedly committed by Dominique Strauss-Kahn, autopsy photos of the late Amy Winehouse, and a classic appeal to the imp of the perverse: “Did you see the mean thing someone said about you on this blog?”
Of course, as professional representatives of our client’s positive qualities, it’s the duty of social media and content pros to stay on the lighter side of the force and appeal to our audience’s better natures. For the survival of our industry, it’s imperative that there’s always a difference between a “flak” (a public relations professional) and a “hack” (a hacker, spammer or scammer”) — and not just a difference of methods, but of philosophy. We have to keep the faith that our clients’ merits will shine through if we showcase them proudly and honestly, no need for dishonest or prurient tactics.
But lately I’ve been thinking that maybe we could stand to take some notes from the “dark side:” after all, everyone who’s tried to solicit customer feedback online knows that angry customers are the most likely to speak up — and often the most entertaining when they do. Understandably, clients are often reluctant to try to harness that creative power. In a recent consultation, I was helping a hair salon owner to brainstorm questions to post in Facebook to drive interaction, and suggested “What’s the worst haircut you’ve ever had?” The client frowned. “Shouldn’t it say ‘best haircut’? After all, I don’t want people to associate us with bad haircuts.” I reassured her that it would be okay — people on the Internet love to rant, and asking people about their bad haircuts just proves that she’s confident that her salon provides good haircuts. And everyone gets to talk about that really bad perm they had in the 80s, or the time they got the “Friends” haircut (just like all their friends), and everybody’s happy. In that grumpy Internet sort of way.
Just look at ideeli, the luxury retail powerhouse known for deep discounts and legendary levels of Facebook and Twitter engagement. One of their regular features is the so-simple-it’s-genius “like or dislike,” in which they post a photo and name of a fashion item, like “pencil skirts” or “big sunglasses,” and ask fans to argue for “like” or “dislike” in the comments. The trick to maintaining engagement with such a simple exercise is keeping readers on their toes. Most of the time, the item in question will be a pretty classic or trendy favorite that will attract plenty of devotees, like stiletto heels or the little black dress. But every week or two, they’ll throw in something widely reviled like “acid-wash jeans” or “crocs,” and no doubt sit back and watch their engagement levels spike. Is ideeli worried that people will associate them with acid-wash jeans? I doubt it. They’re just capitalizing on fashion fans’ love of ragging on styles they dislike. I think of this as “soft trolling” — sure, it’s selling to people’s slightly lower impulses, but unlike in “real” trolling, everyone’s in on the joke, and it’s all in good fun.
A little bit further along on the troll scale is the Alamo Cinema and Drafthouse, a famous Texas establishment which chose to fan the flames on some very real customer anger. When the high-end movie theater’s ushers kicked a customer out of a movie for using her cell phone, she called their office and left a hysterically hyperbolic, foul-mouthed, drama bomb of a voicemail detailing her rights as an American citizen to text in the movie theater. Now, I know that like most social media reps, I encourage clients to use online channels to apologize to customers who complain and try to convert them into happy customers and even brand evangelists. But I’ve got to admit, the Alamo’s method has its own merits. Instead of apologizing, they took the incensed voicemail and turned it into a hilarious viral video, mocking the Angry Texting Lady and assuring other customers, by implication, that when they go to the Alamo they can enjoy their film in peace knowing that disruptive types will continue to be shown the door. The video was a huge viral hit — after all, who doesn’t hate people who use their cell phones in the theater?
Was the Alamo’s approach trolling? Well… a little bit. It was, after all, an attempt to manipulate people’s negative reactions for personal gain. But it was also funny, creative and, at heart, a genuine representation of one of the brand’s virtues — that they take movies seriously and cater to audiences who do, too. That’s why the campaign works at selling tickets and building loyalty, not just at ticking people off.
So are you ready to turn to the dark side? Don’t worry, I’m not encouraging you to make fun of your customers or, God forbid, post any creepy fake autopsy photos. But whether you’re filming an ad for YouTube or writing a Facebook post, remember to draw on your customer’s full range of emotions. They know that you want to make them happy… but sometimes it’s fun to be a little grumpy, too.
