KCB Bank this morning took a swipe at NIC Bank with a Tweet that was apparently supposed to put them in their place as a small bank trying to catch up on social media. The dig, which was meant to be a clever pun with a play on NIC’s name, backfired when Kenyans on Twitter started asking why KCB were being that petty. Others commented on KCB’s bad service which they should have been fixing instead of picking on NIC. It also came out that some people were blocked after criticizing the Tweet.
N I see (pun intended) tiny banks trying to catch up in this social space. *tears*
— KCB Bank Group (@KCBGroup) November 10, 2015
The criticism by KCB could have been because NIC has been putting more effort on social media with Tweets like the one below.
Turns out all the men are going to be growing their mustaches/beards to spread awareness about their health! pic.twitter.com/MuNCQZGFXc
— NIC Bank (@nicbankkenya) November 6, 2015
Brands should not feel like they own social media just because they were frontrunners in their industry on social media. They should also be alive to the fact that other brands in their industry might copy their strategy and even implement it better than them. Brands should also not block people who criticize them on social media as this might alienate the brand from potential customers. My advice to KCB going forward is to always keep it classy.
Here are some of the Tweets from Kenyans that took issue with the KCB Tweet.