Turning the Heat of Social Media Controversies into an Advantage!

The FIFA World Cup was filled with excitement. The entire nation of Japan was energized by it. Even though kickoff was at two o’clock in the morning, countless people stayed awake to cheer on the Japanese national team. Meanwhile, ticket prices soared, enormous amounts of money flowed into FIFA, and the sports betting market became increasingly active around the world. The World Cup is not only a celebration of soccer but also a massive business. Yet, regardless of all that, for many fans the true appeal of the World Cup lies simply in passionately supporting their own national team.

Unfortunately, Japan was eliminated in the first match of the knockout stage. Even at Shibuya’s famous Scramble Crossing, where large crowds had gathered, more and more young people quietly left the area as Japan fell behind 2-1 and defeat became increasingly inevitable. There seems to be a prevailing belief today that competition only has meaning if you win. The phrase “It’s the participation that counts” is now often regarded as an outdated ideal from the Showa era. If you compete, you compete to win. That may well be the modern mindset. Overseas, people’s passion for soccer sometimes becomes so intense that emotions spiral out of control, occasionally even leading to violent crimes such as murder. Such is the reality of a sport capable of stirring people to such extraordinary levels of excitement.

This kind of collective passion also appears in the online world, often in the form of what we call an ‘online flame war’. It draws in large numbers of people, everyone becomes emotionally involved, and information spreads at an astonishing speed. Unlike the passionate support seen in soccer, however, most online controversies are short-lived and gradually fade away with time. Even so, online backlash can be an extremely difficult problem to deal with. This is particularly true on message boards where the site operator actively participates in discussions by replying to users. The more active the debate becomes, the more likely it is to escalate into a full-blown controversy.

The Sound House message board was one of the pioneers among services operated directly on a company’s own website. We divided discussions into categories by topic and allowed anyone to post freely, which I believe contributed greatly to its success. Users flocked to the board almost immediately, and it soon became a valuable place for asking and answering questions about products. As a result, Sound House staff—including myself—made a point of replying to posts almost every day and responding sincerely to our users. Through these steady efforts, the number of users continued to grow, and before long many people had come to rely on the Sound House message board as an important source of information.

However, as the community expanded, we also began to see posts from people who were, at times, little more than habitual complainers. Dealing with these situations became an increasingly regular part of our daily work. Occasionally, the message board would even be targeted by disruptive users and descend into chaos. Before long, we found ourselves spending a considerable amount of time every day responding to posts. Eventually, one particular regular contributor began to stand out, and I found myself engaged in ongoing exchanges with this individual. It was obvious that he was a true professional in the field of audio, and many of the points he raised were in fact correct. There were even occasions when he made us aware of mistakes on our side. Nevertheless, some of his posts resembled personal attacks, and responding to them consumed an enormous amount of time and energy. Even so, Sound House had one guiding principle: to respond honestly and sincerely to every single post. For that reason, no matter how difficult it became, I continued writing replies with everything I had. Even now, I vividly remember those days.

There are three primary causes of message board controversies on social media. The most common is when someone posts controversial content or uses provocative language. Expressions that appear to cross the line into slander or personal attacks often provoke strong reactions from other users, causing discussions to intensify and eventually erupt into a full-blown online controversy. The second most common cause is posts made by users with a chronic tendency to complain. The topics themselves are often sensitive, and regardless of whether their claims are well-founded, they can easily escalate into heated disputes. There are always some people who habitually leave negative comments and have become completely accustomed to engaging in online arguments. The third cause is when there is a problem with the way the site operator responds or explains something. If incorrect information is posted or inappropriate wording is used, criticism quickly concentrates on the issue, discussions become increasingly heated, and the situation can escalate into an online firestorm.

There were times when replies from Sound House contained mistakes or wording that could easily be misunderstood, bringing us close to an online controversy. Whenever that happened, I personally stepped in as the owner of the company and posted replies on the message board myself. The reason was simple: I wanted to apologize first. I believe that admitting a mistake and sincerely saying, “We’re sorry,” is simply the right thing to do. After apologizing, I would present a plan for improvement, revise our original post, and make every effort to ensure that the information was clear and understandable to everyone. This was not something that could be done halfheartedly. I remember spending countless hours monitoring the message board, often until late at night, day after day. Looking back now, I sometimes wonder if many customers sympathized with the way we handled those situations. Perhaps I was building an image of Sound House as a company that never ran away from problems and that confronted every issue head-on.

Then one day, I felt that both the content and the frequency of one particular user’s posts had exceeded the limits of what we could reasonably tolerate. After giving it careful thought, I decided to call the person directly. It did not take long for me to realize something after we began talking. He truly was a professional, and his knowledge was genuine. I could also sense that he was, at heart, a sincere person. That was why I began by acknowledging his expertise. It was not an act. I genuinely believed he was an outstanding professional. Through a direct conversation between myself, as the president of Sound House, and the individual who had been posting on the message board, we gradually came to understand each other better. I remember asking him, “When you post on the message board, could you please soften your wording a little?” As a result of that conversation, the online controversy stopped almost immediately. I remain deeply grateful for everything I learned from that experience.

Whenever you run a business, especially one that operates online, mistakes are inevitable. Errors will occur, and they will sometimes lead to customer complaints. However, Sound House has always faced those complaints sincerely. Whenever we were at fault, we acknowledged it honestly, and if necessary, we were willing to spare no effort or expense to ensure that our customers were satisfied. There were even occasions when I personally drove long distances to deliver products to customers myself as the company’s representative. At the time, we had very few employees, and there were situations in which I was the only person who could respond. I never hesitated to get behind the wheel. Whether it meant acting as a delivery driver or doing whatever else needed to be done, my philosophy was simple: do what must be done, and do everything that can be done. I believe that this unwavering commitment earned Sound House the reputation of being a company that genuinely took responsibility for customer complaints and handled them properly.

When we make a mistake, we should honestly apologize and do everything we can as a company to demonstrate our sincerity. As long as we maintain that attitude, I believe every complaint becomes an opportunity to earn our customers’ understanding and trust. People often see online controversies as nothing more than expressions of customer dissatisfaction or complaints. However, hidden within them are always valuable clues that can help a company grow. If we do not run away from them, and instead continue responding with sincerity, today’s controversy will eventually become tomorrow’s trust. I experienced this time and again through the Sound House message board. The thing we should truly fear is not complaints or online controversies. What we should fear is turning our backs on our customers’ voices.

To the younger generation who will one day take over this company, I want to continue emphasizing the importance of facing every controversy and every complaint with sincerity, no matter how large or severe they may be. That is because such moments are invaluable opportunities for a company to grow. I firmly believe that by continuing to engage in honest and sincere dialogue, more and more customers will continue to support Sound House, and even stronger relationships of trust will be built in the years to come.