Chapter 9
“Refrigerator Gate” in China
In September 2011, Luo Yonghao, a popular blogger in China complained on his blog about a Siemens refrigerator that he had bought 3 years before. He said that the refrigerator’s door was difficult to close.
Siemens’ response began a social media crisis that haunts the company to this day.
Background
Siemens, the German multinational electronics giant, employs nearly 400,000 people in almost 200 countries. The company has operated in China for 140 years and now manages a network of more than 60 regional offices there.1 Siemens makes electronics-related products, from power generation systems to light bulbs and everything in between. The company website lists three core values—responsibility, excellence, and ...
Get Crisis Management in the Age of Social Media now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
