Cotton On hit by social media backlash – what are the lessons for your business

The decision by clothing retailer Cotton On to remove products that contained offensive messages due to negative online feedback would not have been as big a problem if the company had monitored its reputation on social networks, an industry executive says.

The warning comes as Cotton On says it “crossed the line” in allowing a baby’s t-shirt that contains the phrase “They Shake Me” to be sold in its stores, along with other items of clothing that featured similar phrases.

The company was hit with a wave of criticism on the internet, with several Facebook and Twitter members voicing their disapproval, with some even calling for a boycott.

The backlash prompted Cotton On Kids to release a statement late last week in which it said the products would be removed from sale.

“Cotton On Kids were unaware until recently that the slogans were being viewed as offensive and that they could progressively cause this extent of angst amongst consumers and social groups alike,” the company said.

“Although these products are intentionally edgy and irreverent, and the succession of this range was driven by demand, the recent attention implies that the slogans in question have crossed the line.”

But James Griffin, head of online reputation company SR7, says Cotton On would have avoided the catastrophe if they had engaged in online reputation management.

“This is a perfect example of why companies need to have some form of monitoring or listening to what’s going on out on the internet, particularly as more mothers are using apps such as Twitter to communicate and put forward their thoughts about products.”

Griffin says the Cotton On incident shows why other businesses need to maintain an online presence, even if it is purely for customer service issues.

“I think companies need to understand this has become something they should certainly be doing. Whether they feel they have the resources to do that in-house is a different issue, and is an example of why this industry is growing.”

“Part of the service that comes with this type of management is an early warning system. You monitor keywords that are popping up, and you can see that growing and do some analysis. The simple fact is that people are using these sites, and that once something becomes an issue, they get emotional and then off it goes into the web.”