Buzzing more about "United Breaks Guitars"

Image via CrunchBase

Yesterday when I first heard about this story, the "United Breaks Guitars" video had been watched nearly 200,000 times. Sons of Maxwell had only published the video to YouTube two days earlier. Tonight there around 750,000 views!

Also - there are lots of comments like:

• Like a SPinal Tap amp, your revenge goes up to 11. Amazing job sir - hats off to Sons of Maxwell. It is exactly this kind of systemic anti-customer culture that makes people dislike companies like United. Fire the baggage handlers and make every United employee view this video. Oh, and if they repeat their interest in this video for training purposes...SELL IT it them. Say, free airfare for life and first class seat for your guitar. Brilliant vid!!!!!
  
• damn! I could write a full Broadway musical and it still wouldn't cover all the crap I've taken from Air Canada over the years!
  
• One of the best You Tube videos ever. Beautiful way to get back at the impersonal airline industry in general. United and the others badly need to get their act together and start delivering good customer service again.

(There are a lot of inflammatory and unnecessary comments as well - these are a few good ones that apply to United Airlines, and the airline industry in general.)

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Buzz Works

I'm fresh back from holidays. I have just finished reading a couple of great books, and am also about half-way through "The Anatomy of Buzz: How to Create Word of Mouth Marketing" by Emanuel Rosen. It is a good book, and I'll spend the next couple of days "buzzing" about a few experiences I had on my vacation.

To start with, I wanted to buzz about United Airlines. Maybe this is an "anti-buzz". It is amusing and ever so telling about their overall way of doing business. It also shows the power of a consumer with a good story in the internet age.

For some background, check out CBC.ca's coverage of the story - United Breaks Guitars. Then you might want to read more from Dave Carroll's own story on his own blog. Finally, you can't miss the actual protest song.