Remember Christopher Sengseng?
The subject of a viral photo now has his own KFC TV commercial, thanks to social media.
screen grab from the TV ad; click to watch
As I discussed in my talks, social media is akin to a double edged sword. It is a neutral but powerful tool. If used properly, social media adds value to advertising and branding, and good to social business in general. However, this tool is equally forceful when used for cyberbullying.
The story of Christopher Sengseng is an interesting case study because it shows both the upside and downside of a viral post.
Well, the TV ad is the upside, thanks to the marketing guys who used the unadulterated (genuine) reaction of people towards a photo, as an opportunity to push the brand.
But there is a downside to this. The family privacy, as a matter of “human right”, has been compromised. A party to blame is Christopher Sengseng himself because he did not exercise due diligence in protecting the privacy of his wife and son. In fact someone used this premise to explain that the right to privacy of Christopher Sengseng was not violated. The same person also cited a recent SC ruling on a case involving St. Theresa’s College as basis for his premise.
side note: human rights can be both legal and moral. The intrusion to the right to privacy because of personal oversight may not be illegal. But, as a matter of moral right, good sense (yes I agree, not everyone subscribes to it) suggests that we extend respect to the family by not dragging them to the lime light. Sabi nga ng kapwa ko komentarista sa radyo, “urbanidad lang yan at GMRC”
What We Can Learn From Christoper Sengsengs’ Case, So Far
- Like or love yourself, be confident on who you are. And yes, showcase what you’ve got or what you can do to the world.
- Be yourself and do what is expected of you. Opportunities are created from the mundane situations.
- Make yourself findable in social media.
- But due diligence should be observed to protect the privacy of your family, specially minors.
- Respect the privacy (moral right) of a family at all cost, even though it is not illegal. Specially when a minor is involve.
- And think like a marketer or PR person. Grab the opportunity to push the brand.
- Social media is good for social business.
What about you, what is your take away from the Christopher Sengseng story?
