Mangled Guitars and Lessons Learned

Today I read an update on the plight of one Dave Schneider, the musician whose treasured 1965 ES-335 Gibson guitar was horribly mangled by Delta baggage handlers a few weeks back. Schneider's efforts to be compensated for his loss were initially met with indifference, forcing him to turn to social media. His story soon went viral.

Good news! All is now well as Mr. Schneider was recently presented with an apology and reimbursement from Delta closer to his $10,000 repair estimate. Even sweeter, Schneider became the recipient of a brand new 50th Anniversary Re-Issue ES-335 from Gibson Guitars - along with an additional offer of free repairs for his damaged original.

Wow! There are so many lessons learned here, it's hard to know where to begin.

For Delta (and all consumer-based businesses for that matter), this is a cautionary tale of what happens when you ignore your customers. In the age of social media, appearance is everything and public relations disasters lurk around every corner. After all, it's not like this type of thing hasn't happened before. 

They say those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

There's a positive angle to this story though. With media attention squarely focused on Mr. Schneider, Gibson Guitars were quick to exploit the situation to score an obvious marketing coup. Their decision to assist Mr. Schneider in his time of need cannot be seen as anything but a wonderful gesture of a caring company keen to acknowledge the loyalty of its customers. Of course, the media was quick to pick up on this aspect of the story as well. That my friends is Marketing Gold!

As quick as social and mainstream media is to report the ugly side of the story, they're often just as quick to publish a good news story. As a good corporate citizen, the best and most obvious marketing moves you can make are to treat your customers right from the outset, while looking for opportunities to right other's wrongs.