Micro blog marketing of tragic infant death fuels firestorm of criticism (2)

Both posts were soon deleted. The Buick dealership made an apology on Weibo to the family of the victim and the public.

But screenshots saved by users continued to be posted and the negative impact on both brands persists.

The two brands probably didn't expect such a firestorm of fury from the Internet community, but they really made a big mistake sinking below the moral bottom line. They certainly tainted their own brand images.

The Chinese have the same proverb as the English language - a little leak will sink a great ship. It takes decades to build the great ship of a respectable brand but it can take just a moment of negligence to send it floundering.

For those in corporate marketing and PR, at least two lessons should be learned.

First, be careful in the era of social media when one wrong can be easily magnified and have disastrous impacts in just a few clicks.

Second and more importantly, think with both your brain and heart. Never break the moral bonds of respect for human life and sympathy for our fellow man.