When It's Great To Get Hacked!

 

The old adage says all press is good press. That played true last week for Burger King. The fast food royalty's Twitter account was hacked by jokesters who changed its header photo to its arch nemesis's golden arches and claimed the company had been acquired by McDonald's.

 

At this news, you'd probably think: Sound the alarm! Social Media catastrophe!

 

But the real results of the hack were quite the opposite.

 

Because of the snafu, @BurgerKing acquired 30,000 new followers in a single day, saw a 300% increase in conversations and was mentioned in 450,000 Tweets!

 

The profile ended up being suspended until Twitter restored the true Burger King access, but all in all BK keeps the new followers and the publicity.

 

Of course, some of the conversation and mentions were a bit disparaging toward Burger King. This is to be expected. To balance that though, many tweets were sympathetic, and now @BurgerKing gets the added impressions of all the new followers obtained from the hack.

What do you think, is getting hacked worth it?

What you can learn from the Harlem Shake!

It's catchy.  It's funny.  It might already be overplayed.  It's the latest meme craze: The Harlem Shake.

 

The Harlem Shake originated less than two weeks ago and has spawned over 40,000 versions uploaded to YouTube, totaling more than 200 million views. If you haven't seen it yet, just go on YouTube and watch one.  It is much easier seen than described.  Basically, someone starts dancing in a room of otherwise normal activity and then the scene switches to everyone dancing/ going crazy.  So what turns such a simple and silly concept into an Internet sensation? Let's take a look at three things companies that are looking to engage customers through social media can learn from Harlem Shake!

 

Harlem Shake Characteristic: Length

The videos average about 30 seconds in length.  This makes viewing them, and possibly viewing multiple in one sitting, very easy for the average YouTube visitor.  They can also be viewed in the entirety as part of a conversation or showing one to a friend on a mobile device.

Lesson: Keep it short: You have to capture attention quickly! No one is going to read through pages of material or watch a half hour long video. 

 

Harlem Shake Characteristic: Easy to Create

It is easy to see how there have been so many versions created and posted as the videos are technically quite simple to set up, create and edit.  They typically are one static camera angle and just require one cut from that camera angle.  This simplicity implies that just about anyone can make a version without much planning or effort.

Lesson: Keep it simple: If you want engagement, keep it simple for the customer!

 

Harlem Shake Characteristic: Open to interpretation

The theme is so loose that it is easy for viewers to imagine their own "creative spin" on the Harlem Shake.  Think of the armed forces version, the Swimming Team version, or the senior citizen version.  This lets viewers feel part of the craze and inject their own creativity into the concept.

Lesson: Keep it creative: Give your customers space to make the interaction unique and personal to them! 

 

 

 

Take away any other lessons from the Harlem Shake?  Let us know below!

Superbowl XLVII Proves Need for Social Media Speed!!

 

We always say the world of social media is fast paced.  Long standing rules of marketing, public relations and consumer engagement have been flipped on their heads by the real-time quickness of today's digital world.  And this was seen on a national level during last night's Superbowl!  While Twitter quips and Facebook posts filled up the night, my top two performers for speed and agility are Oreo and @SuperbowlLights!

 

Twitter handle @SuperBowlLights is a classic look at timing in the social media space.  The handle was created as a joking nod toward- what else- the power outage!! Get this, within ONE HOUR of the moment the lights went out in New Orleans stadium, the handle was created, gained 25,000 followers and was being regulated and having tweets removed by the NFL.  ONE HOUR, people!  It has taken me long than that to get my hair done!

While the story of @SuperBowlLights is quick and impressive, I think @OREO outdoes them.  Mere minutes after the power outage, @Oreo tweeted this "You Can Still Dunk In The Dark" ad.  Wow.  The reason I find this more impressive is that Oreo is a large brand name.  It is owned by Nabisco, which is owned by Kraft--- you get the point? We are talking layers upon layers of approval in a typical decision making process.  But apparently, they are lean and mean enough to be quick and relevant when needed!  Kudos to Oreo!