Of course bad news, as always, tends to travel faster and further that good, but it is still said that if a company creates a really satisfied customer, that customer might tell up to 6 of their friends, who again might spread the word. Taking this to be 6% (for comparison purposes), and using my case again, 20 years ago, without social media, this might suggest a potential influence network of around 36 people ((100 x 6%) x 6). Today with social media, I perhaps have a potential influence network of 1080, ((3000 x 6%) x 6). Ok, not as big an impact as the negative effect, but still substantial enough to create a positive impact, especially compounded over time. Looking at it from a marketing perspective, your products and services are being promoted to 1080 potential customers, free of charge, by word of mouth recommendations from their friends. http://kfcchickencalories226.blinkweb.com http://tichiang8319.xanga.com/ http://scythian1191.posterous.com look at this article before time runs out Every company is unique and has its own strengths and weaknesses. It is very important for a brand to know its strengths - the qualities that set it apart from others. Rather than embarking on a holistic approach towards brand management, a company should pitch its products in such a manner that it reflects the company's outlook. For instance, Adidas, one of the largest footwear companies in the world, goes by the tagline - "Impossible is nothing". Given the fact that the company mainly caters to the sportspersons, its brand is built on a strong message of perseverance, determination and positive attitude. This is one of the prime reasons why its adverts feature top sportspeople. Most businesses prefer using LinkedIn and swear by the results offered by this networking channel. This site alone can attract customers for businesses who are not present on other sites. Google Profile is another popular network that can create web presence for a business in just a few minutes. Most businesses are flocking into Twitter, a key site for communicating with potential clients. The site allows users to follow influential people and expand their network by making people follow them. Facebook is a site which has a million users and allows businesses to share information with customers, -post- and -like- comments as well as upload pictures. YouTube is another channel that can be utilized as one of the social media tools for marketing.