Much is said about the power of social media and its role within the marketing mix. However, Nestle appear to have gone all out to prove its significant role in building (and destroying in Nestle's case!) relationships with consumers. Nestle have never been a brand that is synonymous with ethical consumerism, but their latest PR disaster became big news as a Facebook campaign led to a sharp fall in its share price on friday.
Greenpeace launched a scathing attack on Nestle via Facebook and Twitter, based on their continued use of palm oil in confectionary products like Kit Kat. The use of this oil is linked to deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions and endangering the livelihood of orangutans. Greenpeace encouraged Facebook and Twitter users to change their profile photos to an adapted Nestle logo depicting the word 'Killer'. The campaign was so successful, that Nestle withdrew the use of palm oil with immediate effect.
