The Importance of Following Through

At the beginning of May, a company that nobody had ever heard of before gained about 750,000 followers in one day, all because of one post. Seems like their social plan for the month really paid off right? Not quite. Sunny Co Company posted a picture of a swimsuit with a giveaway that they never expected to reach the capacity it did. All you had to do was repost the picture and tag the company’s Instagram in your own post to get a $64.99 swimsuit for free, paying only the shipping and handling fees.

What started as an innocent way to increase activity on their Instagram ended in a frenzy of reposts, likes, and emails. The internet, doing what it does best, turned this business mishap into a joke almost instantly. People were claiming that everyone who participated was gullible and would never receive a free suit.

Now, about a month after the viral post, Instagram is starting to, yet again, flood with pictures of girls in the infamous red swimsuit. Sunny Co Clothing did what most people saw would be impossible: they followed through. It seems obvious to say this, but the idea that this small company still plans to send out every suit ordered for far below retail price is impressive. The easier route would be for them to post saying, “Oops, sorry! We didn’t plan on becoming an internet sensation overnight. Try again next time!”

But, no. Instead, the brand chose to follow through with their customers and stay true to their promise. This decision will cultivate a stronger relationship between their brand and their clients, and will show that the company can be trusted. By doing this, a customer will be more likely to go back to that brand. Think about how many emails Sunny Co Clothing has now, all because of an internet joke. The viral post may have caused a headache when it came to merchandise and figuring out orders, but it certainly gave them a new, unprecedentedly large group of customers to contact in the future.

This company has demonstrated the power of going viral in the age of technology and what that could look like for brands that utilize social posts to reach followers. Advertising campaigns and promotions on social media has proven to be great way for consumers to get information, but Sunny Co has shown the potential dangers of promising too much. There is something to be said about the owners of this company, who turned out to be two University of Arizona seniors just trying to jumpstart a brand. The thing to learn from them is the importance of following through with your customers. Every industry promises their customers something different; whether it’s exceptional customer service, innovative ideas, or the best product available, consumers want what they are expecting. And if two college seniors can do it, you can too.