Managing Brands in a Prickly Digital World

This article warns that that a wake-up call is needed for many companies that either ignore or respond inadequately to negative social media.

Managing Brands in a Prickly Digital World

Donald E. Sexton

Columbia Business School

Editor’s Note:

Donald E. Sexton is professor of marketing and decisions, risk, and operations at Columbia University. In this Speaker's Box, Sexton describes many companies as 'tone-deaf ' when it comes to responding to negative social media. He argues that a wake-up call is needed as brand managers continue to underestimate how negative customer perceptions, or occasional negative experiences, may affect their brands and eventually their organizations' revenue, profits, and stock prices. Collective social-media trends such as number of users, number of complaints posted, and the toxicity...

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