MARKETING COMMUNICATION DIGEST

Everyone was talking about it. United seems not to have thought enough about it Two young girls, traveling on so-called "Pass Rider" friends-and-family tickets - and reportedly wearing leggings - were stopped from boarding a United flight from Denver to Minneapolis, while a third happened to have a dress with her to cover up her leggings. All this while, their dad apparently wore shorts, which were deemed just fine. One of the girls was said to be only 10 years old. Twitter roared with disbelief, especially when United's Twitter account reacted with cold quotes from a rule book. How could United behave this way, and why? Here are the five ways United showed a considerable lack of emotional savvy: 1.  When you're enforcing rules, think about  how  you enforce them United claims that the leggings rule is in place because anyone flying on these special tickets has to follow the company's dress code, as they are deemed to be representing the air...

On a flight from Denver, Colorado, to Minneapolis, Minnesota, early Sunday morning, Shannon Watts observed a United Airlines gate agent refuse to allow two young girls on the plane because they were wearing leggings. Watts took to Twitter immediately to document the incident, decrying the apparent policing of girls’ clothing and regarding the dress code enforcement as “sexist and hypocritical.” Watts objected to the policy, saying that it sexualizes young girls who were simply wearing comfortable clothing. She questioned if boys were subjected to the same sort of policy. As the incident unfolded in real time on Twitter, United ’s own social media account began to chime in. But the airline’s responses seemed to only stir the pot and trigger more anger. This kind of gaff is increasingly making the case for the engagement of social media account managers with a Public Relations background or appreciation. Amid the reactions, chatter, question...