Social Media Mistaken Identity

We’ve all heard the recent news, with a Woolworth Double Bay customer getting caught out recycling a bruised avocado picture from another unhappy customer a year and a half earlier. Perhaps it’s a case of mistaken bruised avocado identity? Perhaps the customer thought a picture of bruised fruit from Google images would be easier than taking her own picture? Despite which side of the fence you may sit on, this customer got caught out by a savvy Woollies social media team.
Our advice and key take away from this incident (and we reserve no judgement for the Crocs shoes – for details on the shoes, see the summary at the bottom of this blog post), Social Media is an extension of your brand and it is important you remain genuine. Irrespective of whether your social media channels are personal or business – they tell a very important story about you and your brand.
Why is it important to remain genuine and how to ensure authenticity on Social Media?
– A genuine presence builds trust and proves your integrity.
– Share a little bit about the what, when, why and who of your business or personality.
– Engage with your audience to connect, not for the sake of selling or pushing your own agenda.
– Connecting requires you to listen and respond. To achieve this, it’s not always about your platforms, pages, products and services.
– To really engage your audience, you need to show, YES NOT ONLY AM I GREAT AT WHAT I DO, but I’m also human!
– Get involved and take interest in and interact with ‘others’. Others includes your customers, clients, suppliers, employees, associated business, industry bodies and community groups.
– Avoid stock image overload. The best photos are sometimes raw and capture you and you’re business in action.
By accurately representing your brand on social media, you’re unlocking a tool to further embed your customer relationships through brand loyalty and association.
For new or potential new clients, social media provides the ultimate ice breaking mechanism to learn more about you and your business before trying your products and services.
We believe and live by the mantra that the key to social media is the same genuine behaviour in the ‘real’ and the ‘online’ world.
We also advise not to reuse old photos of avocados. Plagiarism won’t sit!
Woollworths Double Bay copy
If you missed the Woolworth Double Bay avocado clash, here’s a snapshot of what happened.
On the 22nd April, a shopper from the Double Bay Woolworths store posted a complaint on the Woolworths Facebook page with a picture of recently purchased bruised avocados.
The Woolworths social media team were quick to respond that the picture posted was identical to the picture of another complaint back in November 2014.
All we can say is Whoops! And thankfully…. for the complaining customer, the media have chosen not to disclose her name as the post went viral.

Pepper IT is a boutique technology agency providing Web, Social Media, SEO, Cloud and IT solutions for small to medium sized businesses in Sydney and the rest of Australia.
Pepper IT offers a 20 minute complimentary social media review with Social Media Expert Ryan Shelley, Managing Director of Pepper IT. Please contact us at hello@pepperIT.com.au to arrange a time chat.