Qantas Twitter Dispute: Social Media Strategy and Communication Plan

This report analyzes the Qantas Twitter dispute, focusing on a mismanaged online contest that damaged the airline's brand image. The study explores the history of the event, the negative impact on Qantas, and the company's response. It identifies the need for a robust communication plan and highlights three crucial factors for effective social media use: ensuring trustworthy sources, employing a dedicated IT security team to prevent hacking, and avoiding over-reliance on social media. The report emphasizes the importance of customer-friendly communication, timely updates, and relevant content to rebuild trust and engagement. It provides a detailed communication plan, including timing, audience, sender, key messages, desired outcomes, and the appropriate media and frequency of posts. The study concludes with a list of relevant references to support its findings.

Running head: BUSINESS ANALYSIS STRATEGY
Management Communication
Name of the Student
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Author Note

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Introduction:
The Qantas disputes are carrying on since a long time span. The study will discuss
about one of such dispute on Twitter that has created a lot of problem to the industry. The
study will also discuss about the recommendations that the organization can follow for a
better social media presence and prevent such issues in future.
History:
The main reason for the issue was a miscommunication over the Qantas Twitter case.
Qantas had launched an online contest for getting enough customer attention. They launched
this contest over Twitter as a form of social media channel. However, the contest came out as
a failure after the link got hacked and negative comments were posted by the customers. Such
negative feedback ruined the image for the brand and their services. Moreover the company
themselves failed to properly communicate while replying to the tweets.
Affect:
The company faced a huge problem regarding the miscommunication and failure in the
plan that they tried to attract the customers with. The brand image was highly damaged and
the company lost its market image.
a. The future action that the company might take to prevent such measures are :
The company should try resolve the issue by using few important measures that will help
them to communicate with the customers and clear the issue that has damaged their
reputation in the market. They should interact in a friendly manner with the target audience
and the communication approach should be highlighting the issue and its clarification. This
will help the organization to build an effective and trust worthy relation with the customers.
Thus helping the company to regain their lost image in the market. They can also introduce

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discounts and offers to the customers to attract them and once again regain their position in
the market.
b. Identification of three important factors to consider while using social media.
The factor that the company must consider while using internet and other social media are
they should make sure they are using a trustworthy source that has very chance to get
hacked. The company must have an IT special team that will take care of the ethical
hacking and cybercrimes that might take place in the organization. It is very common
nowadays to hack or get connected to foreign devices with the help of technology and
then use their confidential data and misuse them. The company should make sure that
from next time they must use reliable sources and person while using any such accounts
in social media. Every individual should consider these factors while using the internet as
hacking has become a common part the regular life thus it should be take care that the
sources of internet uses are trustworthy.
Factors that has to be considered while using social media:
Too much dependency on social media can be really risky for any organization. Any
organizations that are using social media to improve their fame and reputation in the market
are highly risky as sometimes these sites give fake news and information that cannot be
relied. They should consider that while they are using the social media for advertisement they
should also make sure that the information’s are relevant and worth trusting. Many times fake
information’s can create a lot of negative impact for the company’s name in the market. This
can be really harmful and dangerous for the company. Instead Qantas must focus on using
social media as means of getting constructive feedback to improve their relationship with
their customers. The communication approach must be aimed at solving issues instead of
degrading them further.

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The company should also make sure that the use of social media for transaction,
communication and monetary deal can be risky. There are hacker everywhere and they
can get the private information about the company and can impose a serious threat to the
organization. The organization has to be very careful before communicating anything and
especially when it comes to direct customer interactions (Watson and Finn 2013). The
company must make sure that the use of social media must be very sensitive and careful.
Another risk related to use of social media is fake reviewing or hijacking. The
company must make sure that there are no fake account created by any other organization or
sources, neither their sites get hacked. The company should check that there is no faking or
false share of information. There are many hackers and rival for every business who try to
dominate and demean the company or organization. The company should make sure that
there is no fake information or news should be spread about the company that will hamper the
image of the business.
c. Communication Plan
The communication plan that the company should introduce in the market has to be
completely friendly and customer oriented. The company has already seen a fall in the image
name in the market due to unavoidable circumstances, however now they should make sure
that they are communicating with the customer in a friendly tone and they must try to clear it
to the customers that the hacking had caused the overall issue and the company was not to be
considered. They must try to regain their image in the market by their suitable
communication skill and should also try to build a new friendly relation with the customers in
the market. They can also inform the customers about the discounts and offers that they will
provide to the customers. They can also take initiative or feedback form and feedback
messages from the customers to get a clear idea about the customer review about the
organization. They can also improve their relation with the customers by specifically

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communicating with them about the issue that had drained their image from the market, it
might help them to build a trust relation among the customers once again in the market. All
these can be planned in the following manner:
Timing Qantas must maintain timely communication with their followers
over the social media. Their online sites must be regularly updated
and all key discounts and offers must be conveyed on time.
Audience The main audience for the organization are its customers, who are
following every step taken by the organization. They are always
on the lookout for better offers and latest updates. Hence, Qantas
has to make sure they are always in touch with their audience.
Sender Qantas is the sender of the messages that get posted on the online
media channels. They have to be aware and conscious about
everything that they are posting on the sites.
Key message Key messages of Qantas generally will be including updates,
notifications and discounts.
Desired Outcome They will regain their market reputation and enjoy better customer
engagement.
Medium Online sites like facebook, twitter, instagram would be used along
with their own website.
Materials Internet connection, message box, hoardings.
Frequency The posts in social media can be weekly and the hoardings can be
changes every alternate month. The websites can be updated as
per their discounts availability and offers.

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