Advertising, Social Media

The Power of Social Media: How Businesses Benefit

October 15, 2017

A study from The Statistics Portal shows that 81%, or 1.96 billion people, are social media users, and this number is expected to rise within the next year. Social media has become so important because it delivers a virtual portal of communication for businesses to potential consumers. Through this gateway, businesses can expand their knowledge on what their customers want while receiving feedback, suggestions, and complaints.

Here are some of the ways that all businesses can benefit from utilizing social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, and even Instagram:

1. It shows that you are an active company
Updating and maintaining your company’s social media account on a daily basis demonstrates to potential clients that you are dynamically taking notice of their comments. This shows that you value the input of your clients and make it an everyday priority to assure that you are present on your social media page.

2. Convenience
Many customers would prefer to reach out to a company through social media rather than by phone because it is less of a hassle. By choosing to always have an employee monitoring the social media page, you are guaranteeing that all customers are noticed and will receive replies to their inquiries and comments.

3. Reputation
If consumers are satisfied with their purchases, there is a great chance that they will write about it on your social media page to encourage other buyers in the market. This is a direct advantage to your business, demonstrating your guaranteed effective product or service and potentially drawing in more customers.

4. Educating your consumers
Having a social media page is a gateway for you to elaborate on the specific services and products you are offering. It further shows that you are cultivated in your field and presents a highly professional image to your prospective purchasers.

5. Spread awareness
Social media is not only beneficial for larger companies, but for smaller companies as well. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are all platforms that have millions of active users. Customers are capable of sharing posts and hashtagging, which only increases the amount of views. The chances of your company’s page getting noticed grows significantly.

A study from The Statistics Portal shows that 81%, or 1.96 billion people, are social media users and this number is expected to rise within the next year. Social media has become so important because it delivers a virtual portal of communication for businesses to potential consumers. Through this gateway, businesses can expand their knowledge on what their customers want while receiving feedback, suggestions, and complaints. Here are some of the ways that all businesses can benefit from utilizing social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and even Instagram.

Advertising, Beauty

Nivea’s White is Purity Ad Controversy

By admin on

October 5, 2017

- Advertising, Beauty

Nivea is a well-known skin-care company that offers such products as body lotion, body wash, face moisturizer, and cleansing foam.

On March 31, 2017, the German company published an ad for its

innovative invisible deodorant on its Middle East Facebook page. The

advertisement was heavily criticized by Facebook users, who expressed that it

endorsed racism. Three days later, Nivea deleted the ad and apologized to

the public.

What Went Wrong?

Consumers conveyed their disapproval on Facebook and Twitter, blasting the

company for promoting white supremacy. After the backlash, Nivea

issued a statement acknowledging that the ad was unsuitable to the

company’s values. However, this was not the first time that the company had

created a discriminatory advertisement. Back in 2011, their offensive

“Re-civilize Yourself” ad portrayed a black

man throwing the decapitated head of another black male that had an

Afro and a beard. Consequently, many outraged consumers reported that they would no

longer be purchasing Nivea products and would take their business elsewhere. As it did later, in 2017, the company removed the ad and apologized, stating that

the company’s views and beliefs were not represented. Nivea explained, “We

are deeply sorry to anyone who may take offense to this specific post.

Diversity and equal opportunity are crucial values of Nivea.”

What Companies Can Learn from This

The main thing that companies can learn from this controversy is they must be

sensitive about potentially controversial issues.

Nivea’s “White Is Purity” advertisement was not a success because it

promotes racism, which is an increasingly difficult issue.

Prior to introducing an ad, companies should ask two

crucial questions:

1.Will this offend any particular ethnicity or culture?
2.Will this ad bring people together in unity, rather than tear them apart?

When Nivea removed the ad, it announced, “After realizing that the post

is misleading, it was immediately withdrawn.” This suggests that they did

not adequately assess the impact of the advertisement beforehand. If the

company had carefully evaluated the advertisement prior to releasing it,

it would have recognized the racist aspects that were clearly present.

In the future, Nivea needs to focus on generating advertisements that will

join people together in harmony, and it must devise methods for

effectively and appropriately demonstrating its support for diversity and

inclusivity, which the company claims are crucial values. Failure to do so will be detrimental to the future success of Nivea.