I first came across ‘United Breaks Guitars’ about 10 years ago.
It’s a song and music video from a disgruntled passenger who had his guitar broken by United. After 9 months of stonewalling from the airline, he took things into his own hands by writing a country song about his frustrations.
It’s always been a fun and funny ditty that I’ve enjoyed coming back to over the years. However, earlier this week Maru shared a case study with me that analysed the impact the song had on the company, and it was astounding.
Apparently, United lost $180m in value, or 10% of its market capitalisation, following the viral spread of the video. The cost of the broken guitar? $3,500. The cost of the song and music video? $150.
Music and comedy—both great tools for keeping companies and organisations honest.