LAN - Facebook Reactions

LAN - Facebook Reactions

Facebook has moved beyond the thumb and put a ‘face’ to user’s feelings by adding new emoticons which let friends share their reactions to posts.

Presented as a complement, even an alternative, to written comments, the social network now features emoticons which represent viewers feelings about posts, ranging from smiles to frowns, joy to anger, and keeps a running count.

What are we to make of this new, more expressive, Facebook Reactions platform? One possible downside is that negative reactions, previously have lost in a comment thread, are now prominently tallied making them more visible to those seeing the post for the first time. Brands which may have blocked comments to avoid negative feedback, can’t block Facebook Reactions. But even the negative Facebook Reactions emoticons can be turned to a positive. Brands can more immediately gauge reaction to posts, and refine their future posts. This new feature can also be a helpful tool for crisis management, helping airlines measure consumer empathy and the effectiveness of its brand recovery communications.

Quick to embrace the new feature, LAN Airlines found a clever way to turn the frown upside down by using the various emoticons as voting buttons for a new promotion on its Spanish page.

LAN asked visitors how they would feel about travelling to South America for three months giving them suggested answers, each associated with one of the new Facebook Reactions emoticons. The airline gave the two negative emoticons positive meanings. The red, angry face was used to reply: “I can’t wait to start.” The sad crying stood for: “it’s so sad that this will end.”