Social Media PR Disasters & Our Key Take-Aways
‘They’ say that all publicity is good publicity, but yikes that’s absolutely NOT the truth. Good marketing is worth its weight in gold, but when your marketing team slips up?? It could have *hugely negative ramifications* on your brand’s bottom line & following. All engagement is not created equal & today we’re talking about 3 of our favorite (least favorite?) social media marketing fails.
The McDonald's #RonaldMcFail
McDonald's launched the #McDStories campaign, expecting heartwarming tales about Happy Meals. Instead? The hashtag was hijacked with not-so-happy stories. A nugget of wisdom for brands: The internet is wild, unpredictable, and rarely forgets. Consider ways the public may respond rather than just how you want them to respond before hitting ‘post.’
DiGiorno's Blind Comment
DiGiorno jumped onto the #WhyIStayed hashtag without checking its context. While the tag was about domestic abuse survivors, DiGiorno blindly tweeted "You had pizza." A pie in the face moment? Absolutely. Always, always check content before you engage in other social media!!
American Apparel's Space Shuttle Slip
Let’s not forget American Apparel’s unfortunate mistake when they mistook the Challenger space shuttle explosion for fireworks and posted it on Tumblr for the Fourth of July. Yeah, it wasn’t pretty. Make sure to triple check your images & where they come from before sharing on any of your accounts!
BlackBerry's Android Affair
This one really just makes me laugh. BlackBerry tweeted about their Twitter comeback... from an Android phone. A subtle footer "via Twitter for Android" had the internet rolling. Our caution is to ensure that you never post from or with a competitor's product. It’s just…bad marketing, plain & simple.
Social media may be quick and fun, but mess ups like this (and those more or less serious) can last forever, especially in the age of screenshots. So here's to thinking before tweeting, posting, or commenting! And always, always double-check!
