Facebook always sounds like a great opportunity for brands to quickly and easily generate buzz and awareness. However, it is important to remember that this rapid effect can cause huge headaches if the technological and communication components are not fully aligned.
The most recent example is Heinz. The company pre-launched a balsamic vinegar version of their ketchup by selling it through their Facebook page. Heinz did a great job of promoting it, they had a huge onset of demand. However, their Facebook page was not prepared to handle it, and the site stopped working until late in the evening.
The result was a lot of unhappy Heinz fans. Heinz since has offered a free bottle of ketchup for anyone placing orders following the outage.
While this discontent most likely won't be financially detrimental, it creates mistrust in the social media element of their brand identity. True, most people frustrated by not being able to buy a bottle of kethcup online won't create massive boycotting or protest, but this target is a valuable one to Heinz and one that will need work to be repaired.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11319/1190071-100.stm
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