Friday the 13th has claimed its latest victim in the form of British Airways’ Sachin Tendulkar debacle. It’s going to take a lot more than a strong cuppa for the airlines to realize what’s hit them. Sachin Tendulkar is cricket’s greatest icon whose many records have no parallels in the history of the game. Sachin’s reputation precedes him by as many miles as British Airways has ever flown. For his global legion of fans (including Yours Truly!) he is God, ‘The’ God.
What has angered God’s fans is not just the fact that they antagonized him by misplacing his luggage and flying with empty seats even though his family was on the waiting list. Nope, the issue is much deeper than that. God was asked to identify himself and a Twitter storm swiftly followed. How could this happen? One would’ve thought that the airlines rep who was ignorant about God’s stature could’ve at least noticed that the handle was verified.
For the uninitiated (BA social team, take note please), a Twitter verified account can be easily distinguished (even if one is colorblind) by the tiny blue badge on the top right hand corner of one’s (read God’s) Twitter handle. This is a recognition that cannot be bought but has to be earned. Typical template based response to such a dignified user is a BIG NO. You don’t have to ask this person’s full name because it’s already in the bio, plus the person is all over the internet. Just look it up.
Groupon’s Banana Bunker masterstroke is a good starting point for brands who don’t yet get the essence of being ‘social’ on social media. Here BA, click here and learn from the best. You are welcome. #NeveronBA (See what you did there BA?)