Qantas Tweets Up A Storm

Today, Qantas used Twitter to make massive restructuring announcements that were quoted straight from CEO Alan Joyce's speech. They created their own hashtag #anewspirit  and it's debatable whether it was successful or not. Personally, I loved it. Using social media as a means of reaching a wider audience is genius. I wouldn't have paid much, if any, attention to the speech otherwise and I certainly wouldn't have known so many facts that were presented.

Many people were outraged at the information announced but this post is looking directly at the communication channels rather than the message. It is said that its better to not use social media tools at all rather than use them poorly. As a method of delivering such major announcements it was adventurous and I believe it paid off for them.

Looking at the feedback Qantas didn't receive many all-round positive reviews. Many were annoyed at the volume of tweets and how such bad news (job losses) were announced inbetween good news. What company would simply report all bad news? Qantas has tweeted it was an once off event which I think is a shame. Perhaps with a lower volume of tweets (something the company has acknowledged may have been an issue but necessary to convey everything) it could be an excellent tool. It was useful during the ash cloud situation in Australia earlier in the year to keep customers informed.

One aspect Qantas has really excelled in this whole situation has been the response to feedback. Qantas responded to the mixed reviews in a polite and informative manner. More businesses need to realize it is a two way communication rather than simply spreading information and not interacting.

Did you like Qantas' use of social media? Do any improvements need to be made?