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Remmington also received a private message from Uniqlo on Instagram, in which the company explained that, in addition to the video, it planned to send a private message to the creator and offer him a replacement umbrella as a gift as an apology. The person who sent the message to Remmington hinted that he knew his content and the self-deprecation he used on TikTok: apparently the video was a attempt to use the same style. Remmington said he was satisfied with the apology and adds that he doesn’t hold a grudge against the brand.
All’s well that ends well, in short. But one has to wonder if missteps like that of Uniqlo are destined to become more and more common now as businesses try to navigate TikTok. Language learning app Duolingo has five million followers on the platform, who love its content above the lines featuring the company’s mascot, an owl called Duo; however, in May one of the brand’s social media managers had to apologize after teased the testimony in which Amber Heard told of having suffered domestic abuse.
In September, after that a change unpopular the app had made its users protest, Duolingo has replied with a sarcastic video to a customer who said they wanted to leave the app. The caption of the video, accompanied by ironic hashtags, reads: “You really make me cry when you say you’re leaving“. In commentary on the video, which has collected almost five hundred likes, we read: “I’m glad you care so much about your customers...”.
The disorientation of brands
In the case of Duolingo, the confusion appears to be due to the fact that the company doesn’t view TikTok as a place to handle customer issues: “On Twitter, our support team responds directly to customers to resolve their issues” – explains Katherine Chan, head of strategy for social media and influencers of the company -. But he doesn’t use TikTok in the same way”.
While Twitter, Instagram and Facebook allow companies to decide whether to allow private messages from any user, on TikTok it is not possible. Platform rules prevent users from communicating privately with accounts that don’t follow them. Because of this TikTok is not customer service’s natural habitat. Perhaps it is understandable that companies use TikTok mostly in a joking way, but this approach can lead to problematic situations when faced with legitimate customer complaints.
The risks for companies
Sphurti Sewak, an assistant professor of marketing and logistics at Florida International University, studies the way brands use memes on social media. According to Sewak, companies have started to use a cheeky tone on Twitter (just think of the American fast food chain Wendy’s, which since 2017 blizzard its competitors on the platform). Sewak believes Ryanair shouldn’t be given credit for adopting a bold social media strategy: “They probably copied Wendy’s and went further”. Given the success of Ryanair, other companies may soon follow in its footsteps, making customers angry.
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