Couple of weeks back, we covered how Vodafone made a fool of itself by filing a lawsuit against one of its own customer for latter’s Facebook update .
Vodafone has now withdrawn the case “in good faith”.
“Vodafone Essar states that the legal notice served to the customer has been withdrawn in good faith. Vodafone Essar would also like to take this opportunity to inform that as a customer obsessed organisation, we have always welcomed critical feedback and suggestions from both direct and social media customers as it helps us to constantly improve ourselves to serve their discerning needs,” [source]
Social Media Vs. Traditional Media
Was it really the social media or the traditional media that made this case a landmark of sorts? This was clearly a case of traditional media who picked up the news and helped Dhaval Valia in creating enough awareness about the issue.
And he mentions (ref: screenshot),
“Had it only been social media doubt Vodafone would have reacted in such fashion.”
In short, do you think this is a case study for social media? Just because a Facebook status was involved here, does it really make this as a ‘social media’ case study?. As one of Dhaval’s friend (on his FB wall) aptly puts it – “Networked David takes on standalone Goliath“.
That is, in this case Dhaval had the right network/contact details of Vodafone senior officials and that’s what really worked for him. If not for traditional media coverage, the story would’ve had a very different ending.
What’s your take?
