How Erisco Foods lost great branding opportunity over Egodi’s critical feedback
By Ralph Tathagata
Nigeria’s social media space has been awash with the kerfuffle between Chioma Egodi Jnr and the Erisco Foods Ltd, makers of Nagiko Tomato Paste, over a critical feedback by the former.
Egodi had published a critical review on the tomato brand on September 17, on her Facebook page, saying, “I went to buy tin tomatoes yesterday that I will use to make stew. I didn’t see Gino and Sonia. So, I decided to buy this one. When I opened it, I decided to taste it. Omo! Sugar was just too much. Ha, biko, let me know if you have used this tin tomato before because this is an Ike gwuru situation.”
The post in question has since attracted over 3,900 comments since publication.
Rather than take the critical feedback on its chin, possibly move the customer’s complaint into the private sphere and de-escalate the situation so that it’s no longer in public view, the tomatoe paste company has escalated the matter by ordering the arrest of Egodi.
Nnamdi Nwokolo, the spokesperson for Erisco Foods’, in an interview with the Punch, confirmed that the company wrote a petition to the police to investigate Egodi’s claims.
He said: “The allegations were grave, so we petitioned the police to investigate the matter. So if the police find criminal defamation against Chioma Egodi and then arrest her, is it a crime that we sought the law?”
The petition dated September 19, 2023, and addressed to the Inspector-General of Police was titled, “Complaint of criminal conspiracy, the marketing and blackmail of killing people with our product against an organised syndicate faking our products after failing to extort money from us and cyberbullying.”
Whether Egodi was accused of criminal defamation of the company’s product or trying to extort money from Erisco as alleged, the fact is that, from a brand management and public relations perspective, addressing public criticism on social media requires a careful touch. So far, the results of Egodi’s criticism/feedback and the Erisco Foods’ high-handed approach to the issue have led to a massive backlash from the customer base.
In corporate communications, the way the management of a company communicates is a direct reflection of the brand. Unfortunately, many Nigerian businesses and brand owners have not come to terms with the power and influence of social media over them. It’s important to remember that social media matters, and that all comments within the ecochamber, regardless of how negative or outlandish, must be taken seriously by the social team of any brand or business that’s worth its salt. All brands’ responses should be carefully crafted to convey a sense of understanding and empathy.
To ensure that the customer feels legitimately heard, brand managers and the social team must acknowledge their frustrations and own up to the feedback they’ve shared. Most importantly, empowering a brand’s social team to resolve customer complaints at first communication is important in customer resolution. It will also signal to future readers that the brand is a responsive business that will take care of them if the need arises.
Social media is an invaluable tool to help businesses connect with consumers. When they offer negative feedback online, however, it also has the capacity to impact a company’s reputation in significant ways.
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