Former Harvard professor John Sviokla cites the recent example of a Virgin America flight from LA to NYC, which ended up being diverted to Newburgh, N.Y., due to bad weather, leaving the passengers sitting on the tarmac for four hours at Newburgh. Documenting the whole affair was Kontain CEO David Martin, using his company’s social media iPhone app.

Martin was soon contacted by the Virgin America CEO offering him and his fellow passengers a full refund and $100-per-person vouchers for all.

This is fantastic example of how social media has shifted the power of a brand away from companies and to consumers, by responding swiftly Virgin America were able to retain the trust of their customers and avoid a wider backlash (are you watching United?). Sviokla describes the need for every marketing executive to have a “brand radar system”, always watching and listening to the conversations concerning their brand. And with social media moving so fast, a real-time solution is the only real option.