Remember Amy’s Baking Company Boutique & Bistro? After an unflattering portrayal on Gordon Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares TV show they were trolled and ridiculed by Reddit, Yelp, and Facebook altogether.

But rather than responding with professionalism and grace they instead used their Facebook page to escalate into a screaming, all-caps war of words with the Internet as a whole, complete with obscenities and expletives. It became a debacle immortalised online.

In doing so they exemplified every brand’s greatest fear about having an online presence: losing all control and sanity on the very public, very eternal space of social media. But wait, that extreme case should not be the reason for any brand or business to shy away from social media, especially in the hugely, almost inescapably connected 21st century.

What should a business do then to jump into social media and yet keep all the reins? How does a brand ensure that its image and reputation is expressed, maintained, and kept consistent through its messages? In addition to social media an increasing number of businesses, particularly those in the hospitality industry, have to contend with review sites like Yelp, TripAdvisor and more. There, customers have the power to influence potential guests’ impressions of a business through positive or negative reviews.

But it doesn’t all have to be an uphill struggle. Circos Brand Karma, in partnership with Web in Travel, has just launched Brand Karma University (BKU), which offers the only online training in digital marketing tailored for today’s hoteliers. With courses ranging from social media basics to hotel review management, BKU students will learn the tools and strategies necessary for navigating through the ever-changing digital landscape.



How so? Studying with BKU means learning to optimise social media through the application of real-world case studies; knowing how to respond appropriately to reviews (and recognizing when to respond!); understanding the foundational six principles for content creation and strategy; and more.

Leading luxury hotel chains around the world – including Shangri-La, IHG, Marriott, and Accor – have been trained by BKU. Best of all, graduates who pass the BKU exam at the end of each module will be recognised and endorsed on our BKU Honor Roll.

Want to know more? Visit BKU here and enroll now.