The United Steelworkers union and Goodyear have been involved in a nasty year-long dispute. What is interesting is that the United Steelworkers union has turned to YouTube to help point Goodyear in a bad light. The Internet Financial News reported this week that
“[The union] has launched an advertising campaign that spotlights, among other things, what it contends are the hazards of buying tires made by replacement workers. It also is tapping into the power of the Internet with one of its more inflammatory pieces – a [30-second] video spot on YouTube.com that climaxes with a car crash.”
That’s not the only video the union has produced and has posted to YouTube – there are more featuring union president Leo W. Gerard attacking Goodyear and US government policies.
As far as I can tell, this is the first time that a union has used social media optimization tactics as part of its communication strategy. Unions have seen their numbers and influence dwindle in the last ten years. By using social media tactics, not only does the United Steelworkers union get it message out, it also allows it to reach a new audience that could potentially become members. This looks like a very smart marketing move from here.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Dave, I don’t think this is the first example, I am sure there are earlier ones, but I well remember working with the
Machinists union when working at portent interactive. http://www.goiam.org/ They have their own video studio.
It makes sense John that unions would turn to social media sites like YouTube and tools like Blogs to get their message out. Social media tactics allow them to distribute their message quickly and directly at a fraction of the cost of other marketing methods. I wonder what other types of businessess will turn to social media as a way to talk directly to a certaiin group or market?
I think any business could do this. It just require imagination on the part of the business owner.