Eiger's Letter Causes a Stir
Recently, there’s been another viral story about correspondence that’s been the talk of netizens across nearly all social media platforms—starting on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook—and it’s likely even become a topic of conversation in our own circles. I’m sure all readers will agree that this viral story involves the local lifestyle brand, Eiger.
It all began with a Twitter account, @duniadian—a content creator who revealed that she received a warning letter from Eiger for posting an honest review of one of their products: a pair of sunglasses. The warning letter from Eiger must have upset her—after all, “I wasn’t even sponsored, so why am I being reprimanded?” Those were likely the thoughts running through Dian’s mind—and those of netizens—as they read her Twitter thread about her complaint.
Netizens love to spill the tea—here’s some fresh gossip!
After Eiger let the issue simmer for (too) long—which eventually sparked a much broader discussion and exposed all the shady tactics employed by Eiger’s legal team— they finally responded to this viral incident by issuing a letter of apology, backed by an apology from Eiger’s CEO, Ronny Lukito, across various media outlets. On the other hand, this case has actually gone even more viral because it was revealed that Eiger also frequently requests that accounts selling similar products from competitors take down those products on one of Indonesia’s largest marketplaces, Tokopedia.
Media Buffet, as a company operating in the field of communications, can only shake its head in disbelief. Occasionally, we find ourselves wondering: what kind of communication strategy is this, exactly? An attempt at brand exposure? A brand awareness strategy? A marketing gimmick?
Communication always has a thousand and one ways to effectively engage the public and communities. For example, if we find that a content creator’s review of our product isn’t up to par, we—as a brand’s PR team—could directly reach out to that person and offer to send them a product for review. if the issue lies with the video’s visuals, we could also offer visual support tools to that content creator, such as a wireless microphone, lighting, and so on.
Well, actually, this can be considered a minor issue in the field of communication because it simply requires the right skills and communication approach for the brand to engage the community—in this case, content creators—so that they align with our brand’s goals. Whatever is reviewed should indeed add value to the brand, and as a bonus, we gain brand loyalty from the community for free.
I wonder if Eiger needs to clarify things on Deddy Corbuzier’s podcast? Hahaha.
