Social Listening: Black Rifle Coffee
A Social media presence I have observed recently is, Black Rifle Coffee Company (BRCC). I am what some call "a coffee snob," I have also been known to be driven by coffee. I would do just about anything to sit down and have a good cappuccino. One specific coffee brand I have come to be familiar with due to its veteran status is, BRCC. Recently, this coffee company has been hit with a lot of slander on social media. The coffee company has been under a-lot of attack on both sides of the political arena. This company had what you could assume, very gun friendly, freedom to bear arms stance when it came to politics. However, in recent light, they chose to remain neutral in their choice of words while many feel their actions spoke differently. This started when Kyle Rittenhouse, allegedly used a gun trying to protect himself from rioters, wore BRCC apparel prior to his actions in a post on social media. When BRCC was targeted, being accused of supporting this persons actions, BRCC denied any support for Rittenhouse. Somewhere along the lines, followers feel this company went anti-gun. Resulting in a lot of "anti-Black Rifle Coffee Company slander."
Black Rifle Coffee has been mentioned all over the medias; Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to name a few. Especially recently, but not in a positive light. In short, thousands of customers feel the company has lied about their core values. BRCC has been thrown into the battle, customers are calling, "culture war and politics." Not a good battle for any company to be in. Black Rifle Coffee focuses on guns and military. When a gun is used in a real crime people like to point fingers. Evan Hafer, one of the founders of Black Rifle Coffee says he doesn't want his brand to be seen as racist or anything to do with white supremacy. Hafer said in the New York Times interview,"I would never want my brand represented, in that way, shape or form." He goes on further with his interview with New York times saying "Proud Boys and White nationalist groups have hijacked the brands image." Raheem J. Kassam tweeted, "how to destroy your company in one easy step: give an interview to the New York Times trashing your customers." Jason an ex customer of Black Rifle Coffee tweeted,"I'll drink Starbucks before BRC... Atleast they stay true to who they are and what made them."
When you type in the search bar on Twitter you can find hundreds of these posts and comments lining the feed walls. Doug Merriman said, "This makes me sad. I am/was a huge BRCC fan." The company can't seem catch a break from the constant hatred coming from its customer base.
Black Rifle Coffee, promotes on the media platforms quality coffee and merchandise like mugs, seasonal coffee, apparel (to name a few), to its consumers. Advertisements like, "purchase one bag of coffee and we will deliver one overseas to our soldiers for free!" Doing constant fundraisers and advertisements supporting the Blue Line, showing major support for all servicemen such as, police officers and firefighters that serve in our communities.
Black Rifle Coffee isn't using social medias best practices. They are falling behind and not able to keep up with the influx of negative comments. As the company tries to increase its brand recognition and change the way the customer and potential customers view the company, they seem to be losing a-lot of their customer base along the way. Seems they have lost touch with the customer base they have built up thus far. Majority of their customers are heavy supporters for guns and the second amendment. Majority of the customer base believe that the media is lying to them or what they are suggesting is "fake news." It feels as if BRCC has gone silent on social medias, no longer replying to the hatred but rather hoping people forget it altogether.
The resent attempt they made to distinguish themselves apart from the extremists with guns on New York Times, against the 2nd amendment did more harm than good. I do not think the company is handling the situation well at all. Between the Kyle Rittenhouse fiasco, and the capital riots, these events put Black Rifle in a very unique circumstance. You are viewed as a company by the customers you have, and what they do. BBRC has waited too long to respond to the pressures of their customers or not taken action on an issues many of the customers feel passionate about.
If I was the brand manager I would have tried to handle the situation differently. Appeal to the unfortunate circumstances that have fallen with the capital rights. Make a clear line stating as a company we do not support white supremacy. I would have avoided doing it on the news, because many feel the news is fake and lying through their screens. Instead come out with content on social media platforms where the larger customer base is anyways. I would have also came out with an advertisement promoting gun safety, while also highlighting the police officers who are making sacrifices to help make our country safer.
My takeaway from all of this, is you cannot control what some of your customer base does. And the larger the company rises, the further it has to fall. Events that happen outside of your company are out of your control, yet can cause massive amounts of damage to your company. Your company values will be tested and where you stand on certain issues as a company will also effect your customer base. This also goes with the saying, "you can't please everyone," so choose your audience. You cannot wait around for a topic to blow over. Taking action quickly is necessary to mitigate any issue that arises. As for myself, I still love their coffee as well as the support they show for our troops and veterans. When I was deployed in Afghanistan, I found their coffee not only delicious but reminded me of my own core values.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/14/magazine/black-rifle-coffee-company.html
https://www.salon.com/2021/07/17/far-right-rushes-to-find-new-cup-of-joe-after-maga-friendly-black-rifle-coffee-denounces-extremists/
https://www.blackriflecoffee.com/pages/about-us
https://twitter.com/wayotworld/status/1416720321999253509
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