Brief Summary of the Case
Kryptonite Bike Lock Company is an Allegion-owned brand. They are well known for their U-shaped locked that secure a bicycle to other fixtures. According to Wikipedia, “the product was named after kryptonite, the fictitious substance that can thwart the powerful comic-book hero Superman.”
In 2004, the company had some unwelcoming social media fame when an online video was published showing how to unlock the Kryptonite lock with a BIC pen. This spread rapidly among other forms of media. It created a fiasco for the company because their customers were able to witness how easily the expensive bike lock could be unlocked with something as simple as a BIC pen. The unwanted social media attention created a mess for the public relations department. The company took five days to respond by posting a forum post. Their response was to provide a lock exchange system for their customers. Even though the company took necessary steps to prevent such occurrence, there are many customers who still feel that the locks can be opened and that the company has done little to address the problem.
Question #1: What factors led to the social media explosion of the Kryptonite story?
What led to Kryptonite social media disaster was the slow response by the company. The company took five days to …show more content…
When social media is used accurately it can help be used as a competitive advantage. Just how it can create a negative image it can also improve a customer’s perception of a company. Kryptonite needs to create a new video image showing how they have improved their product. This could possibly be done with humor. They can make fun of their old product while taking initiative to correct the issue. This will be the perfect opportunity to introduce their new product line and show why it has
Kryptonite Bike Lock Company is an Allegion-owned brand. They are well known for their U-shaped locked that secure a bicycle to other fixtures. According to Wikipedia, “the product was named after kryptonite, the fictitious substance that can thwart the powerful comic-book hero Superman.”
In 2004, the company had some unwelcoming social media fame when an online video was published showing how to unlock the Kryptonite lock with a BIC pen. This spread rapidly among other forms of media. It created a fiasco for the company because their customers were able to witness how easily the expensive bike lock could be unlocked with something as simple as a BIC pen. The unwanted social media attention created a mess for the public relations department. The company took five days to respond by posting a forum post. Their response was to provide a lock exchange system for their customers. Even though the company took necessary steps to prevent such occurrence, there are many customers who still feel that the locks can be opened and that the company has done little to address the problem.
Question #1: What factors led to the social media explosion of the Kryptonite story?
What led to Kryptonite social media disaster was the slow response by the company. The company took five days to …show more content…
When social media is used accurately it can help be used as a competitive advantage. Just how it can create a negative image it can also improve a customer’s perception of a company. Kryptonite needs to create a new video image showing how they have improved their product. This could possibly be done with humor. They can make fun of their old product while taking initiative to correct the issue. This will be the perfect opportunity to introduce their new product line and show why it has