February is usually red and hot but no one is “hotter” than Kantanka Automobile as we wrap up the month of love. Well, actually there’s Jussie Smollett and R.Kelly but we digress. Kantanka Automobile is in the hot seat and getting no love on Twitter because a heart-broken gentleman, GG Kantanka Boy (@godfather_gh) on Twitter, has a bone or in this case bonnet ? to pick with them. Here’s the recap:
16/05/2018, 2:09 PM
GG Kantanka Boy DMs @kantanka__daily with a request to trade RTs for a car. @kantanka__daily agrees that if he is able to get 30k RTs, they will reward him with the car. He then announces this to his followers, asking for their help.
28/02/2019, 1:38 AM
GG Kantanka’s Boy tweet finally reaches the 30k target after over 9 months of blood, sweat and Twitter tears. He announces on his page that he has hit the mark and all his supporters rejoice.
28/02/2019, 2:36 AM
GG Kantanka Boy updates the Twitterverse that he has apparently reached out to @kantanka_daily, most likely to inform them that he has reached his target, but was met with crickets.
28/02/2019, 4:24 AM
@kantankaauto issues a disclaimer stating that they have no affiliation with the @kantanka__daily page, which GG Kantanka Boy had been corresponding with and, therefore, would not be held responsible for honoring the agreement.
28/02/2019, subsequently
All Twitter hell breaks loose.
Now that you are all caught up, let’s get to digital marketing business.
What’s the Fuss About?
This is an unfortunate situation all around for several reasons. The main one being that it appears to the Twitterverse that Kantanka Automobile saw the free PR they were receiving from GG Kantanka Boy in his bid to win his car and held back on the fact that they had no affiliation with @kantanka__daily. Many are wondering why the company waited till the 11th hour to clear the air when they had 9 months to speak up. At a time when consumers are impressed with brands because of their values, the experience they provide and their authenticity, Kantanka Automobile is towing the line with this one. At this point, it is a reputation management crisis and it has not been handled appropriately considering the backlash.
At the crux of this crisis is the issue of fake company profiles, which ,we have all learned from this, can at best get you free PR and, at worst, land you in debt. This can be avoided if the following measures are implemented:
Get Your Page Verified
This is the most obvious one. Most social media platforms have a simple and clear page verification process. Brands (especially reputable ones) need to prioritize verifying their pages to set them apart from the pool of fakes. This is a clear indicator to users that the page is credible and removes all ambiguity.
Report Fake Profiles
There is no vanity in searching for yourself. Run periodic searches to find out if there are any other pages bearing your name and if there are report them immediately. Again, most social media networks have this feature available to help you reclaim your brand identity and avoid confusing users.
Make a Public Statement about the Fake Profiles
In the interim, publicly acknowledge any fake profiles you do identify in your search and make the disassociation clear to your followers. Waiting to do this at the last minute is counter-productive. Nip it in the bud before it has wings to fly.
Get Professional Help
This may not be rocket science but there are people who manage social media assets professionally so if you are not equipped in house to focus on it then get an agency to handle your social media marketing.
Give the Guy His Car
We say all this to say: @kantankaauto, please give GG Kantanka Boy his car. The poor man has earned it.
The internet is a scary enough place as users have to deal with people catfishing them daily. The last thing anyone needs is to be catfished by brands as well.
Elizabeth is a marketing and business strategist with specific interest and expertise in the digital and media technology space. She has previously worked for award-winning agencies in Nigeria, New York, Atlanta and St. Louis.