With 2013 winding to a close, there are a lot of ideas for ways to improve social media campaigns and efforts generally in the coming year. There have been a lot of unique and creative campaigns over the past year that we can all look to for creative inspiration. Conversely, there is one social media tactic that deserves to boxed up and shelved with the rest of the holiday decorations, forever.
Brands Commenting on News, Holidays and Anniversaries
For some reason, marketers find it necessary to share the thoughts of the brand (usually a cartoon mascot or logo) on a breaking news event or historical anniversary. This sort of gimcrackery has become pervasive in the wake of the brilliant Oreo Super Bowl tweet that spawned a multitude of copycat memes.
The fact is, no one needs to know how Pizza Hut is remeniscing about 9/11 or how JCPenney feels about the most recent school shooting.
epicurious found themselves in the midst of a social media firestorm when they tried to newsjack the Boston Marathon bombing during a flash sale. Only after deleting the insensitive tweets and apologizing profusely did they finally land on the above tweet, which even on its own would have been completely unnecessary and disingenuous.
It isn't just breaking news stories that somehow trigger an insatiable need for brand comment. Historical anniversaries and other dates of significance have provoked sometimes clever, but mostly insipid posts. We all know how well that turned out for SpaghettiOs:
In case you missed it, the SpaghettiOs account was roundly chastised for their pointless and tacky tweet, having eventually caught the attention of celebrities and comedians with vastly larger networks than the Campbell's Soup-owned sub-brand. Needless to say, the whole scenario didn't exactly move a lot of product off the shelves.
What Brands Should Do Instead
Breaking News: Nothing. Silence is golden, especially as tragedy unfolds. It's nice that the thoughts and prayers of your logo are with the victims, but no one needs to see their stream filled up with the sympathies of a brand. Consider suspending all scheduled tweets, especially if they're promotional or solicitious in nature.
Anniversaries: Do something if it pertains to your business. The SpaghettiOs tweet was stupid not because it was insensitive, but because there is no connection at all between that brand and the event they were commemorating. Is today the birthday of the inventor of the macaroni and cheese (Thomas Jefferson)? That's a great excuse for a fun campaign from Kraft or the like. Just put some thought into it before you circle that next national holiday coming up on the calendar.
A very wise human once said "Better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt." Social media is the best channel to put that maxim into practice.
What social media practices drive you crazy? Let me know in the comments below.