After a day filled with deep dives into how the best airlines in the word build a social media strategy, and taking lessons from social media brand disasters like “United Breaks Guitars”, the participants walked away with enough knowledge to build a strategy for Thai Airways. And of course, their own Twitter accounts as well!

Check out the happenings from Bangkok in the storyboard below (click here if you can’t see it).

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For the vocally inclined, lyrics are included in the video. Enjoy the song, and the video. To have even more fun, try counting the number of unique planes seen in the video, and state your answer in the comments. The backstory follows.

The Backstory

When Dave Carroll came out with his first United Breaks Guitars video, I wrote an article that explained why Dave has become the de-facto Chief Marketing Officer of United Airlines.  The article was a huge hit, even getting a mention from the revered Chris Brogan.

After the first song, there was a huge hue and cry in the media about the PR disaster United faced. So when Dave came up with his second song, about his interactions with Ms Irlweg, I decided to give ideas to United (and other airlines) on how they could innovatively handle negative reactions on social media. After all, every reaction online need not be termed as the “worst PR disaster ever!”

I decided to write an article with ten tips for United Airlines. Then thought it would be much more interesting if I came up with a YouTube video response instead – talking about the things United could do to rescue their brand. When I mentioned this to Z, he suggested, why not have a song in response instead? That triggered off a series of events…

From an idea to a music video, in three days!

Wed, 19 Aug, 12.39pm: I call Jamiel Said, a rising star on the Singapore music scene, and a former schoolmate, to check if he’d be willing to help us create the next big thing on YouTube. He agrees. I think I had it easy because Jamiel was still in his sleep =p

Wed, 19 Aug, 8.45pm: I write out the 10 tips for United, and they don’t rhyme at all! After brooding over it for 90 mins, I come up with five verses,  and the chorus, which officially becomes the first song I’ve ever written. And it’s about an airline!

Wed, 19 Aug, 11.20pm: After performing in downtown Singapore, Jamiel heads over to his keyboardist’s place, to come up with a melody for the song. Only musical geniuses like him can do such things in minutes, having barely looked at the lyrics.

Thur, 20 Aug, 11.40am: Jamiel, Z and I huddle together in my living room, trying our best to make the lyrics fit the melody. Bad approach. In the end, Jamiel re-writes the whole chorus, and Z chimes in with his gems to finalize the lyrics and melody, which are in sync. I realize that one pro, and two amatuers make a good team =)

Thur, 20 Aug, 1.20pm: After a well deserved lunch, Jamiel pulls out all of his recording equipment (I was thrilled to see so many musical gadgets for the first time in my life!), sets up his mini-studio and starts recording on his Macbook Pro. I forget to turn off the home phone ringer, and face the consequences.

Thur, 20 Aug, 6.10pm: After over six hours of recording and re-recording, we have what sounds like a song. And the melody is stuck in my head (de de de de dee deeee de de…). We decide to call it a day, but Jamiel goes home and fine-tunes the song late into the night.

Thur, 20 Aug, 7.00pm: I start thinking  about the music video and realize that we’d surely need a non-Asian looking Ms Irlweg. I start calling up all of my “ang-moh” lady friends, hoping to get someone to agree for a shoot the very next day, during office hours, on a beach! Uphill battle, I know… but I get rescued by Isabelle, a dear friend of a dear Swiss friend. Phew!

Fri, 21 Aug, 11.00am: Just before I head to pick up Jamiel and Isabelle and go to the beach, I pen down my thoughts on what the different should scenes look like. After getting lost a little, we all reach Changi Beach, which is just behind the runway in Singapore. We’re in luck, as the big birds are landing over the beach!

Fri, 21 Aug, 2.10pm: We have shot a few scenes for the video. They’ve been very candid, and funny. But some things went wrong. Nobody brought speakers, so we literally sing the song aloud to know which verse it is. The only sheet of printed lyrics flies into the sea while we’re busy shooting a scene. Z risks his life to get it back from the water. It’s all smudged. But we’re all having a ball of time. Just then, we realize that a cop has fined Z for not topping up the parking coupons in his brand new sports car! Remember Murphy’s law? I run to drive mine off, before the cop reaches my car!

Fri, 21 Aug, 3.50pm: We have lunch and head back to our homes. I fire up my Macbook and start going through 3gb of footage we shot. I have no clue how I’m going to fit all this on the song, and make it look seamless.

Fri, 21 Aug, 11.45pm: After seven hours of non-stop editing and tinkering, I’m ready to export the HD music video file, quite satisfied with my effort. I love Apple!

Fri, 22 Aug, 12.35am: Jamiel comes over to my place so that I can transfer the 400mb file to him, and we go through it together. We’re happy! And decide to launch the video on Mon, 24 Aug. By now, all that’s in our heads is the tune… (de de de de dee deeee de de…)

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the process. So, when was the last time you did something for the first time?

The Answer – Full Lyrics

What did you get when you broke his guitar?
5 million views and a YouTube star
You might think that it’s a disaster
But don’t you worry this song’s answer

Every YouTube video by a passenger,
They may not be trouble’s messenger
How you may wonder,
by accepting your own blunder
How you may wonder,
SimpliFlying has the answer

When you say sorry,
Please say it sincerely,
If you don’t mean it
Don’t you ever say it
So you may wonder,
Whats the best way to approach it?
Let me answer
By listening to your passengers

What did you get when you broke his guitar?
5 million views and a YouTube star
You might think that it’s a disaster
But don’t you worry this song’s answer

Don’t ignore the people who comment on this video
They care about you too, United, don’t you know…
Go and Ask them… what you could have done better
Embrace them,
Love them
And they’ll love you back

So, listen carefully
There will be lots of feedback
Invite them to your Facebook
Where you can engage them back
So don’t just stand there,
And look as if you care
So don’t just stand there.
Cuz it’s not really fair

What did you get when you broke his guitar?
5 million views and a YouTube star
You might think that it’s a disaster
But don’t you worry this song’s answer

So, put up all your training videos on youtube
Let us see what you’ve done, how it’s been improved
Don’t paste “fragile”
Have stickers with Dave’s face instead
And they will smile
One more guitar saved again

Don’t be so boring
Lighten up, won’t you?
Your employees… can have fun with this too
Ms. Irlweg… get featured in Dave’s video
Ms. Irlweg…

What did you get when you broke his guitar?
5 million views and a YouTube star
You might think that it’s a disaster
But don’t you worry this song’s answer

De de de de dee deee de de, de de de de deee dee de…

Did you enjoy the song? Do you think United Airlines will get it? How can other airlines avoid the same type of embarrassment? Let’s discuss in the comments or over on Twitter (@simpliflying)

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Why do I call Dave the new CMO of the airline? Simply, because he has more power to communicate something about United’s brand experience than anyone in their corporate offices. And people relate to his experience much more than the airline’s advertisements featuring sea creatures.

The accidental spokesperson

The legend goes that (yes…it’s a legend already) on a flight from Halifax, Canada to Nebraska, Omaha, Dave’s Taylor guitar worth $3500 was badly damaged by baggage handlers in Chicago – an act Dave and his fellow passengers witnessed. After almost a year of chasing United Airlines for a compensation in vain, this is what Dave concluded:

At that moment it occurred to me that I had been fighting a losing battle all this time and that fighting over this at all was a waste of time. The system is designed to frustrate affected customers into giving up their claims and United is very good at it.

However I realized then that as a songwriter and traveling musician I wasn’t without options. In my final reply to Ms. Irlweg I told her that I would be writing three songs about United Airlines and my experience in the whole matter. I would then make videos for these songs and offer them for free download online, inviting viewers to vote on their favourite United song. My goal: to get one million hits in one year.

Looks like Dave has accomplished much more in just one week, than what he intended to do in a year. Moreover, after about 50,000 views of the video, United Airlines contacted Dave and agreed to compensate him for the damage.

Three thoughts on United Airline’s response

Despite all the buzz on social media, I didn’t know whether United had compensated Dave, until he himself posted a video statement talking about the offer of compensation and requested United to donate it to charity instead. How nice of him. But I have three lingering thoughts.

1. Why did United make an exception to their compensation rules only now, if it couldn’t be done earlier?
2. If this was indeed a mistake on United’s part, then what about all those seeking compensation who can’t sing as well as Dave? Will exceptions be made to compensate them too?
3. Why didn’t United respond using the same medium as Dave – social media?

An apology on Youtube in response to Dave’s video and an explanation of the matter would have saved United further blushes. Surprisingly, that didn’t happen. This, despite the fact that United has its own Youtube channel, and a strong Twitter presence with over 16,000 followers. Imagine the pain of the poor chap manning the Twitter feed these days, replying individually to hundreds of people asking him what United is doing about this.

What’s the point of putting out special fares on Twitter and uploading advertisements on Youtube, when obvious actions like these cannot be taken? I know they’re new in this game and are still learning, but this was an obvious opportunity to embrace the accidental spokesperson and turn the tide in their favor. If JetBlue could do it two years ago, why can’t United try it now? And it’s still not too late. Dave is going to appear on more than ten primetime news shows in the next couple of days.

Let’ see whether United responds on social media at all on this issue. Afterall, that’s the purpose of the medium – to have conversations and respond to them, rather than using it like a broadcast medium.

Meanwhile, enjoy Mr CMO’s claim to fame.

How do you think United could have better dealt with this situation? Through a Youtube response? Or by never allowing this to happen? What would you have done if you were working for United’s customer service dept? Let’s discuss in the comments or over on Twitter (@simpliflying)

Update (16 July): I’ve learnt from a number of people who’ve contacted me directly about this article that United has responded on Twitter on this issue and is answering questions personally. Even my request on Twitter was answered.

Here’s what Benet Wilson from Aviation Week wrote: To its credit, United Airlines saw the error of its ways and is now trying to resolve the situation.  And @UnitedAirlines was on Twitter explaining to its 15,603 followers on what it’s doing for the guitarist and offering an apology. On a side note, I really like the guy who handles United’s Twitter account. I hear he’s an intern that is leaving in the fall, so I hope United will find someone else to keep up the conversation.

Looks like they’re trying. But I still feel a response on Youtube would have been more apt, and saved this Twittering intern at United a few hundred replies =)

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