Managing consumer anger is no longer a low priority for companies. Bill Cokas posted an informative article last week about the importance of managing your own VBP (or Vibrant Brand Personality)—steps you should take to project the proper image for your own (or your company’s) self-image. Today, I’m going to share an example of how not managing your VBP can cause a devastating situation for your company.

Boing Boing, a blog dedicated to delivering news from off the beaten track, posted an article today that hit home for those of us working in brand development and management. An unhappy customer, after a year of dealing with customer service representatives, has posted a music video with his band to YouTube recounting the saga of how United Airlines damaged his expensive guitar while loading it on the airplane—and how he and several other passengers witnessed the damage as it was done.

While the story is specific to Dave Carroll of the band Sons of Maxwell, it is one that every airline customer can relate to. More to the point, it is one that every airline customer fears. Because of that, Carroll’s “complaint anthem” can be damaging to United Airlines’ brand, which in turn can be damaging to their reputation and eventually their sales.

What do you think?

Social media has become a reputable source for in-the-moment client testimonials—good and bad. What are you doing to manage your brand’s message as it is communicated by your clients?