LAX Gives Holiday Travelers a Doggie Destress!

Christmas and airports are usually thought to be a chaotic mix.  SO many people traveling at once, so much luggage and so many flight delays.  ARGH!  It's enough to stress out even the most zen-focused yogi!  

United Airlines has a solution for us and it's just about the cutest thing you've ever seen.  The program is called "United Paws" and is bringing more than 200 dogs to seven of the airline's hubs through Wednesday.

Yes, dogs!! Research shows that five minutes spent with a dog can decrease stress hormones and lower blood pressure.  So, the #UnitedPaws pups are specially trained "comfort dogs" and are led around the terminals by handlers so that stressed fliers can pet and play with the pooches!  

LAX will host the furry friends, as well as terminals in Chicago, Washington, Denver, Houston, Newark and Cleveland. There are already tons of Twitter and Facebook pics of travelers cuddling up with the sweet doggies.  It is enough to make me want to buy a last minute ticket somewhere!!  But don't worry if you aren't flying this Christmas.  LAX is funding a similar program, called Pets Unstressing Passengers (PUP), throughout the year!

And now, just for cuteness sake, here's some pics of the sweet doggies and their traveling friends. Happy travels!

What you didn't know about your favorite Starbucks drink!

Judging by the enormous line I waited in to get my Skinny Vanilla Latte this morning, it is safe to say that people LOVE their Starbucks drinks!  But when you take a moment to analyze just how genius Starbucks’ marketing is - you’ll start to appreciate the company too.  At Casey & Sayre, we specialize in generating buzz and publicity.  So, it is easy to spot others who excel in this!

Here are 3 social media tactics that Starbucks cleverly uses to get completely free publicity.

Create “Postable” Moments

Have you ever gone into Starbucks and had them spell your name in a completely crazy way on your cup?  What if I told you that’s on purpose!? Starbucks creates these postable moments by instructing its baristas to spell names like “Aaron” on cups like “Air Inn”.  The intention is to make the customer laugh and take a picture of the cup to post it.  Boom! Free advertising.

Build Context for Hashtags

Remember two weeks ago I talked about #RedCups?  Having a playful secret red cup emoji pop up when you tweet about your drink makes it fun and special to post about Starbucks. And who could forget using #PSL all fall while drinking their pumpkin spice lattes. Starbucks makes you WANT to post about them by creating additional context around your coffee experience!

Stir Up Your Own Buzz

Starbucks knows that people look forward to the reveal of its Holiday cups every year.  And this year, the decision to make the cups plain red has caused quite the stir.  But many blogs are now suggesting that Starbucks initiated and ignited the “story” that there were people UPSET about its plain cups.  And if so, it worked!  This simple move got the plain Starbucks cup talked about by just about everyone.  Big names like Ellen, Conan, Demi Lovato and even Donald Trump weighed in.  They say no press is bad press, so this is the type of free publicity that most brands dream of.   

So, is Starbucks genius or just popular?  Have you experienced one of these tactics?  Wonder how Starbucks would misspell Social Media Diva!? "So Shall Me Diadiva"?  "Soshil Mydya Dyveh"? Haha, no matter, it would surely make a #postable moment!

Your favorite holiday that you never knew existed! #NationalCookieDay

Friends, get excited.

Not only is it Friday (yay!) but it is a very special Friday, indeed.Today is #NationalCookieDay!

I swear, every year, Twitter brings to light more and more national "holidays" that I never knew existed, but that I now love!

National Cookie Day is one of those days!

You'll see lots of people tweeting about this and some cute pictures and recipe ideas, but let's get serious.  I want some actual cookies on National Cookie Day!  Assuming you do too, I found these three places you can get deals or FREE treats to celebrate!

WHOLE FOODSWhole Foods is offering all its delicious cookies for only 25 cents this week!  No joke, I'd get there fast if I was you!

INSOMNIA COOKIESIs offering a free chocolate chunk cookie with any purchase.  I've tried these in NYC and they are so good!  Sadly, we Angelenos don't have any Insomnia Cookie stores here, but the offer is also available for delivery online!

ROCKEFELLER CENTERGosh, what is up with NY being so much more cookie-friendly!?  Healthy LA strikes again.  But if you happen to be in downtown NY, stop by the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree for some free cookies from DoubleTree by Hilton!  Smart branding.  You always get a couple warm cookies when you check in.  A nice touch every day — not just #nationalcookieday.

Now, go eat up!  And share a pic of you and your favorite cookie for #NationalCookieDay!

Give Back for #VeteransDay

A deep heartfelt "Thank You" to all of our service men and women out there. 

 

You'll see a lot of #HappyVeteransDay hashtags and meaningful messages on social media today.  But when words don't seem like enough, I have three great ways for you to give back this Veterans Day.  Each one just takes a few clicks of the mouse.

Wounded Warrior Project 

The Wounded Warrior Project provides rehabilitation, activities and career counseling for our nation's wounded warriors and their families.  There are several ways to support this organization.  Donations are accepted on their website.  You can also send letters to an injured service member, make a donation in honor of a loved one or host a Supporter Event.

Adopt A US Soldier

Active duty soldiers love notes and letters they receive from citizens, and many would love to write back home. Adopt a US Soldier is a nonprofit that connects supportive civilians with deployed troops.  The organization offers a channel to communicate encouragement and express gratitude to those serving our nation by sending weekly letters or postcards.

Homes for Our Troops

Homes for Our Troops uses volunteers to build homes or adapt existing homes to meet the needs of injured veterans.  Rebuilding these homes into specially adapted locations for severely injured veterans helps these heroes rebuild their lives.  

Do you have a favorite nonprofit or way to give back to Veterans for their service?  

#RedCups and Secret Emojis

Move over, Halloween.  If Starbucks has a say, we are officially in Holiday Season!

This weekend launched the Starbucks Holiday Cups, lovingly now called "Red Cups", and the internet's going crazy.

Starbucks'  #RedCups hashtag has been trending on Twitter since the cups launched on Sunday, and the company created a Twitter-specific emoji just for the launch! Here's how it works, because you can't just go searching for the secret emoji.  Twitter users simply type the hashtag #RedCups within their tweet, and the special emoji will pop up next to it!  I love this idea and think it is a fun and interesting way to promote a hashtaginto trending zone!

Even though we have at least another month before winter starts, I am always in favor of a little festivity, and some great marketing techniques!

What is your vote?  Too early for the #RedCups, or just in time?

Death By Twitter: Twitter Edition

Quick, what's the worst way you can think of to have someone break up with you?

If you are an ex-Sex-And-The-City fanatic, my guess is you immediately thought of the episode where Big broke up with Carrie on a post-it note. 

It'd be tough to get less personal or emotive than that. 

Yet, today, we have news about the professional equivalent of bring broken up with on a post-it note.  Being fired, over Twitter.

The downsizing company just happens to be Twitter itself, making this digital version of a pink slip a bit more understandable.

Twitter recently announced that its interim CEO, Jack Dorsey would be elevated to permanent CEO.  Now, one of Dorsey's first orders of business is laying off 336 employees, almost 10% of Twitter's workforce.  This morning, he confirmed the move with a tweet. 

I guess there is no GREAT way to find out you are being fired, but I certainly wouldn't want to find out when I log into my Twitter feed.  I imagine the office went crazy when everyone read that!  It couldn't have been good for morale.  Still, here at Casey & Sayre, we are huge proponents of promoting your company's core expertise.  And in that sense, at least the announcement stayed "on brand".  

What do you think of Dorsey's Twitter announcement? Was it branding brilliance or just incredibly insensitive?  

Finally a "DISLIKE" button!?

Thumbs up... or thumbs down?

After years of social media speculation, Facebook is finally working on a DISLIKE button! Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's CEO announced the news at a town hall meeting yesterday, confirming the feature has been requested so much that the company is finally moving forward with the project.

But, the button might not be exactly what we're thinking. Facebook doesn't want the new "dislike" button to serve as a way to "downvote" posts.  So, moving away from that Reddit-style voting, the new button is meant to express other emotions besides the inferred positivity of the "Like" button.

Maybe you've had this happen to you before.  Your friend's pet just passed, or their grandma is sick.  You want to show you see the post and are thinking of them.  Do you "like" it?  Or, say, you are reading a news article about a devastating shooting and you want to show you care.  Do you "like" the article? These are the situations that call for a different type of button.  Zuckerberg said, "What (people) really want is the ability to express empathy.  Not every moment is a good moment."

So, the button might not be called "dislike".  What do you think the new Facebook button should be called?

VMA Craziness Heats Up Twitter

The VMAs have been a hotbed for controversy the past few years.  Typically, this controversy plays out louder and longer on social media.  Even today, a few days after the VMAs, Miley, Kanye and a host of other VMA topics are still trending worldwide.  And it is no wonder, the awards show has gotten crazier and crazier every year.  Plus, MTV has been focused heavily on increasing social media engagement.  For example, this year MTV created its own unique emoji for the show.  The neon-colored Moonman emoji is inspired by the Moonman-shaped award that is given to VMA winners.  All tweets that used the hashtags #VMA or #VMAs were tagged with this exclusive emoji. 

And, this tactic worked, blowing up engagement on social media.  In the US, 2.2 million people send 21.4 million tweets around the VMAs, up almost 70% from last year.  The hashtag prompted 4.19 million uses, almost threefold the 1.44 million hashtagged tweets from last year.  And, notably, the VMAs were the most-tweeted non-sports program since October 2011.  

What were the most tweeted about moments?  Get ready for a countdown!  And, you might want to hold on to your seats, these crazy moments make for one bumpy ride!

5. Taylor Swift and Kanye (27,162 tweets)

Taylor and Kanye have had an awkward relationship since he famously interrupted her acceptance speech in 2009.  This year, she introduced him at the VMAs!

4. Nicki vs. Miley (27,441 tweets)

Miley Cyrus and Nicki Minaj went head to head with snarky criticism that was sparked earlier this year when Cyrus bashed Minaj in the New York Times.  

3. Justin Bieber's breakdown (80,136 tweets)

Justin Bieber knows how to blow up social media.  His tearful breakdown after his performance of "What Do You Mean" prompted an outcry of its own.

2. Miley's malfunction (147,285 tweets)

Common, did you really think you'd make it through an awards show without a wardrobe malfunction?

1. Kanye's speech (551,466 tweets)

He can't really be running for president, can he?  I wouldn't put anything past Kanye West, and the rapper's 10 minute long acceptance speech ranked as the top-tweeted moment of the VMAs!

What was your favorite moment of the VMAs?  

Dangerous Trending Beauty Tip #SunArt

A new beauty trend has doctors saying "Stop!"

There are a lot of questionable trends these days - overalls, mega wide leg pants and clown contouring, just to name a few. But a questionable fashion choice usually doesn't hurt anyone.
But beware of the latest beauty trend that has doctors and dermatologists worried:  Sun Art.  The trend, which has generated social media buzz and hashtags like #SunArt, #SunburnArt and #SunTattoo, is exactly what it sounds like.  In lieu of normal sunscreen application, people are putting on sunscreen in strategic designs so that they get burned to create an illusion of a design, or "tattoo".

YIKES.


Not only would this hurt like the dickens (I don't want ANY sunburn, thank you very much), but doctors are saying it can be very dangerous.  Some doctors are going on the news claiming that, if this craze continues, people run the risk of much higher instances of skin cancers.


Look, some might call me a slave for fashion and trends, but it is definitely not worth losing your health — or your life — over!  People, if you really want a tattoo that badly, you can get a temporary tattoo at the store for a dollar!!

This is one trend I just can't support.  What do you think of "Sun Art"?  Is it cool and edgy or downright dumb?

Death By Facebook: Bic Pen Edition

Bic Pens really needs to pay attention. The company has a history of FAILS when it comes to women's issues and gender stereotypes.  If you need a history refresher, watch this Ellen segment that happened after Bic's release of the Bic Pen for Her.   I'll let the video do the talking on that one.

But this weekend, in honor of South Africa's National Women's Day, the company committed another huge faux pas.  The pen manufacturer posted a photo on its Facebook page that is cringe-worthy, especially in the light that it is supposed to be honoring women!  The post read, "Look like a girl.  Act like a lady.  Think like a man.  Work like a boss."  Yikes.   Is this really telling us that women, young ones especially, excel at looking good, while men excel at thinking?? Why would a brand ever want to send this message?

As you can imagine, the social media world did not take nicely to this, with millions of comments and rebuttals on Facebook, Twitter and even mock reviews on the company's Amazon products.  Per usual, the offending post was removed and apologies were issued. Bringing us to another nugget that I find interesting about this occurrence.  Originally, Bic's apology mentioned that it found this quote on a popular Women In Business blog site.  There, you will see that it was in fact used, way back in 2012, but received thumbs ups and likes on that platform. 

This got me thinking.  Why is the same quote received as positive and empowering when posted in a women's blog but received as obvious buffoonery when posted by a brand?

Do you think there is a difference?  Is this an offensive comment either way, or is it better when it is posted by a woman in a blog?

Nicki vs. Taylor in the Twitter-storm of the Year

Last night, a music industry Twitter-storm erupted and things have only slightly settled down.

It all started yesterday when the MTV Video Music Award Nominations were released.  Of course, Twitter had a lot to say about these, with #VMA leading as a trending topic.  But soon joining in the trending topics were more specific artists.... namely  #TaylorSwift and #NickiMinaj.

Nicki Minaj vented on Twitter after her biggest hit "Anaconda" wasn't nominated for Video Of The Year.  The video, which received 19.6 million clicks in its first 24 hours, set a music video record at the time.  So, Minaj had a point when she thought she was snubbed.  She tweeted:

Well, apparently Taylor Swift thought that Nicki was dogging on her specifically, because she replied, 

Nicki replied with a confused "Huh?" and a back and forth ensued between the two.  Well, I guess rather than "between the two", I should say "with all of Twitter" as it seemed like every reader had an opinion on this conversation which erupted into a sprawling conversation about race and gender. 

What do you think of the debate?  Are you #TeamNicki or #TeamTaylor?

 

Social Media's WORST Case of The Mondays

Some say I am obsessed with social media.  Guilty as charged.

Still, every so often a story comes a long that really puts things in perspective. 

Like this one, that makes me realize there are people in WAY deeper than I am!

Jemma Rogers, a holistic therapist from London, England, went to "extreme devotion" levels after she was locked out of her Facebook account.  She legally and officially changed her name: new passport, new driver's license, new bank cards, the whole shebang.  And, brace yourself, she changed her name to "Jemmaroid Von Laalaa".  You just can't make this stuff up.  Jemmaroid Von Laalaa is the pseudonym Rogers made up when creating her profile in 2008, as an attempt to avoid unsolicited friend requests.  

Now, 7 years later, Facebook has locked the account and asked for proof of identification in order to unlock it.  With seven years of photographs, friend messages, chats and memories on the account, Rogers pleaded and begged Facebook to understand her situation, but to no avail.  So, we welcome to the world "Jemmaroid Von Laalaa".  

The story broke on social media today, featured on Mashable and Time news.  Yet, as of now, no official word that poor Ms. Von Laalaa has had any success getting into the account!

Talk about having a case of the MONDAYS!

International Kissing Day: Pucker up!

Pucker Up!

It is International Kissing Day.

This day originated out of the UK but has been accepted worldwide to celebrate all the loveliness in a good, old-fashioned lip-lock!

So grab your honey and give them a smooch.  While you are at it, check out this week's top news on celeb love, who is lip-locked in love and who is kissing love goodbye!

Lip-Locked in Love

The gorgeous Vanessa Williams tied the knot this weekend, marrying her fiancé Jim Skrip.  Jim, a former accountant, and Vanessa, who is on her third marriage, had a lavish wedding over the holiday weekend in Buffalo, New York.  And of course, Vanessa looked fierce as ever in her wedding gown, designed by Carmen Marc Valvo!

Kissing Love Goodbye

The biggest news on Twitter today was Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick are kissing love goodbye after almost a DECADE together.  The news broke earlier today and I was shocked.  According to Twitter fans of the show, there have been signs of this on Keeping Up With The Kardashians for months.  But, still, I am hopeful that they will patch things up.   

What do you think was the most smooch-worthy news of the weekend?

The MOST liked photo in Instagram history!

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  Well, some are worth a million likes.  Or TWO million likes!

This week, the record for the "Most Liked Image on Instagram" has been crushed.  And the media-mogul family that everyone loves to hate (or hates to love!) is keeping this title all in the family.  Yep, Kendall Jenner has stolen this "prestigious" title from her sister, Kim Kardashian.  

Kendall's newly-awarded photo was actually taken almost a month ago, but has progressively creeped up on the "most liked" title.  At the time of this writing, the image has over 2.7 million likes!  That is more LIKES on one picture than Caitlyn Jenner, Kendall's father, has FOLLOWERS in total!

Kendall's pic is a whimsical selfie showing her in a overly fancy but kinda serene corpse-like position on the floor.  Her eyes are closed, she's wearing a beautiful white gown and her strands of hair are meticulously formed into small hearts encircling her head.  Sounds a bit intense, right? Leave it to that family to take a typical Instagram selfie to another level entirely!

I wonder if this battle for the most liked image will continue.  Kendall stole the title from her sister, who's wedding photo had over 2.4 million likes.  Interestingly, Kim's husband, Kanye West, spoke last year about how important it was to them to have the most liked photo!  He said the couple spent four days on their honeymoon making sure the photo was JUST right before they posted it.

Well, Kanye better get moving again.  He might need a week to perfect a new photo this time, if he is going to steal the title back from Kendall!

Who would you rather see hold the title for most-liked Instagram photo, Kendall or Kim?  Or someone else entirely?

Our $10 Bills Soon Get A Touch Of Feminine Flair

The year 2020 will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Constitution's 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote.
As a sort of "anniversary gift" to the world, we will finally get a lady on a U.S. banknote.
All I can say is, it's about time!!  The last time a woman appeared on any sort of U.S. paper money was in the 1800s when Martha Washington's portrait was on $1 bills.  So, it was quite a momentous occasion when Treasury Secretary Jack Lew announced that a woman would be chosen as the face of the new $10 bill.
I mean, these portraits don't change often!  The last time a change was made was between 1914 and 1928, when four portrait changes occurred.   At that time, the changes were Andrew Jackson to Alexander Hamilton on the $10 bill, Grover Cleveland changed to Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill, John Marshall changed to William McKinley on the $500 bill and Alexander Hamilton changed to Grover Cleveland on the $1000 bill.  So, four changes in early 1900s and none....ever.... since.
What makes me even MORE pumped on top of getting a woman's portrait on a bill is the way it is happening.... totally woven into the world of social media!  Historically, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing has assisted the Secretary with advice on symbols and themes for currency.  But this time, the theme of the redesigned series of currency is DEMOCRACY.   Because of this, the public has the opportunity to influence Secretary Lew's decision.  The Treasury Department has launched a website (check out www.thenew10.treasury.gov) where you can leave comments and are encouraged to tweet with the hashtag #TheNew10.  Further building on this democracy theme, there will be round-tables and town hall meetings where Treasury officials will collect input.
But, some bad news for those Twitter folk who are nominating the likes of Taylor Swift and Beyonce to be featured on the bill.  As much as we love these divas, by law, only deceased persons may be included on banknotes.  Additionally, the campaign claims the woman should "be iconic and have made a significant contribution to - or impact on - protecting the freedoms on which our nation was founded".
So far, the major contenders seem to be Eleanor Roosevelt, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks and Susan B. Anthony.
Who would you vote to place on #TheNew10?

Is Snapchat the New Political Platform?

Every year during election season, we see new trends creeping in that link political campaigns with social media.  We are already getting a sense of what those trends are going to be for the 2016 Presidential election.  So far, all signs point to Snapchat.

Snapchat!?  If you are like me, this is kinda shocking news. Snapchat was originally labeled as a teen and tween sexting app.  Definitely not something that political hopefuls would use to promote themselves.  

But times are a-changin'.  And so is Snapchat.  Earlier this year, Snapchat unveiled "Discover", its news functionality.  Ever since, it has been establishing increased credibility.  So much so that Republican Presidential hopeful Jeb Bush used Snapchat to announce his intentions to run for President!

That's right!  He ANNOUNCED this on Snapchat!  And others are jumping on this bandwagon, most likely to connect with the younger demographic, age 18-34, who make up the majority of Snapchat users.  Governor Rick Perry has made announcements through Snapchat and many others including Senator Rand Paul, Senator Marco Rubio, and Governor Perry have active Snapchat accounts.  In case you are curious, their account names are SenatorRandPaul, MarcoRubio2016 and GovernorPerry, respectively.  

Do you think the Snapchat strategy is wise for political hopefuls?  

Twitter Test

Quick test.

What do you think of when you think of Twitter?

Now, try to describe Twitter in a single sentence.

No matter how much of a Twitter-expert you are (or are not!), your sentence probably had something to do with the concept of 140 characters.  The short messages are what Twitter is KNOWN for.  And at Casey & Sayre, we know the importance of building a brand to be recognizable and known for something!

But Twitter has announced a first step outside that brand identity.  Next month, you'll be able to send messages longer than 140 characters in Twitter!  Now, before you freak out, this change is limited only to direct messages.  Regular tweets will still have the 140 character cap.  But the announced change took many in social media by surprise.  Some have even speculated that it could be signalling a change in the entire strategy of Twitter.  Could all tweets soon have no limitations on length?  And how would that change all that Twitter has become?

What do you think?  Would your Twitter usage change if there was no 140-character limit?

What Better Friday Happy Hour Than Celebrating #NationalDonutDay!

It's National DONUT Day!  Yes, friends, that is a thing!  And there are few things in life that make as many people happy as the humble donut.  That's probably why it has its own "national day"!  In fact, that's probably why #NationalDonutDay has been a trending Twitter topic ALL WEEK!  Well, the day is finally here, and there's still time to check out these top 5 places to get FREE donuts in LA!

5) Supdnuts Donuts

Spudnuts are made with potato flour, making them super light and fluffy.  At any participating Spudnuts, you can get a FREE donut with any purchase!

4) Dunkin' Donuts

Dunkin' Donuts seems to be just as popular for its coffee nowadays!  Today, you get a free donut with a purchase of a beverage.

3) Jiffy Lube

This one is hilarious!  Yes, Jiffy Lube is offering free donuts all day, along with free tire checks to make sure you don't end up with a "donut tire" if one goes flat! Way to be creative in the marketing, Jiffy Lube!

2) Entenmann's 

It might not have as many of its own locations, but that's not stopping Entenmann's from giving away donuts!  Check out their Facebook Sweepstakes to win free donuts for a YEAR!

1) Krispy Kreme

I saved Krispy Kreme for last.  Not because I have dreams about them (but maybe I do!) but because you don't even have to buy ANYTHING here for your free donut!  Now that's reason to celebrate!

Where did you get your #NationalDonutDay treat?  Let us know your fave spot int he comments!

Google To Introduce "Smart Jeans"!?

We've got smart phones, smart homes, smart cars.  Everything is getting "smart" these days.  In tech terms, this means the items are being linked digitally to combine their functionality with outside software, typically to make things easier, faster or just all around cooler.

Well, the latest smart object is here, as officially announced by Google earlier today.  Smart Clothing.

Surely, wearables have been a trend all year: booming during CES (Vegas's Consumer Electronics Show) and in blogs and startups.  But Google's announcement today of PROJECT JACQUARD is one of the first unveilings that just might be able to bring this trend mainstream.

Project Jacquard intermixes software development and fashion design to create conductive textile material that can be woven into any fabric to create "smart fabric". 

The video released on Project Jacquard (check it out on TechCrunch here) is pretty convincing.  As is the fact that Google announced it is partnering with Levi's to bring Jacquard-enabled clothing to the market.  

Look, Google isn't a fashion company, so the partnership makes sense.  Plus, how better to make this new technology open to the masses than in a trusty pair of blue jeans from Levi's!

The exact capabilities that will be woven into these jeans are still undefined.  In fact, the video touts, "Jacquard is a blank canvas for designers, we are excited to see what people are going to do with it".  

So, this begs the question..... if you were to buy "Smart Jeans" from Levi's, what would you want them to be able to do!?

Why Obama stole from Robert Downey Jr.

It's not often that you would see Barack Obama and Robert Downey Jr. competing for the same award.  

But this week, President Obama ousted Downey Jr. for a world record!

According to Guinness World Records, Obama - who signed up for his own Twitter handle (@POTUS) on Monday - is officially the fastest account to reach 1 million followers.  The presidential account managed to rack up these numbers in under 5 hours, blowing away Robert Downey Jr.'s time of 24 hours set in April 2014.  

If you are anything like me, you might be thinking, "Wait a minute, I thought Obama was already ON Twitter!?"  Well, according to the White House, all other Twitter handles that he has used in the past (@WhiteHouse and @BarackObama) are managed by staffers.  This new account will have tweets exclusively from Mr. President himself.  

From a branding perspective, it seems to make more sense for his PERSONAL account (@BarackObama) to make the exclusively authentic tweets.  But, who am I to argue with the Leader of the Free World!?  That is, of course, unless he is in the market for a new Social Media Adviser! (Call me, Barack!)

Since @POTUS has joined Twitter, he's posted almost every day.  My favorite entry is below, with reply to a tongue-in-cheek question from Bill Clinton.  I personally find the exchange hilarious and hope for more of these conversations!

Are you following any of these presidential handles?  Do you think the new account is necessary or just more government redundancy!?

Death By Twitter: Under Armour Edition

What's said ONLINE determines whats sold ON SHELVES.

There is no getting around this.  Earlier this month, I shared about the Budweiser fiasco when a social media storm forced the company to remove some of its offensive bottles from shelves everywhere.  This weekend, a new story with a similar framework broke; shelves are once again being rearranged due to a social media uprising.

Under Armour released this "Band of Ballers" t-shirt, depicting a silhouetted scene strikingly similar to iconic image of servicemen raising the US flag on Iwo Jima during WWII.  You might also recognize that scene as the basis for the US Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia.  

Once word got out about this, Under Armour's Facebook and Twitter pages received an onslaught of negative reactions, shaming the company for comparing a true heroic moment such as Iwo Jima to a basketball moment.  

Pretty much immediately, Under Armour went into defense mode, pulling the t-shirt from shelves and marking it as "sold out" online.  Additionally, it posted this very well-worded apology on all social media accounts. 

When companies have such well-constructed responses to mini-crisis, you have to wonder why they didn't also have the foresight to see the crisis coming.

What do you think of the "Band of Ballers" shirt?  Do you find it offensive or are we simply in another PC-police situation?

A Womanly Response to the #DadBod Craze!

I've seen a lot of editorial media lately about the "Dad Bod".  This concept has gained national media attention this week, and struck a nerve on social media.  According to pretty irrelevant sources, (come on, guys, it's Cosmo and Glamour that are really focused on this!) the "Dad Bod" is a "mix between maintaining a beer gut and working out".  It has basically been touted as the "real man" and saying women prefer that over a GQ model-type figure.

Okay, let's get this pretty clear that no one is likely bashing some studs in the GQ magazine.  But the #DadBod craze, which trended on social media earlier this week, has quickly been replaced by its female counterpart.  Yeah, you guessed it, the "Mom Bod".  Not to be left out from the "real-self" empowerment, Moms all over have been responding with pictures of their imperfect-but-beautiful selves.  Complete with stretch marks, extra skin, and other small imperfections, the craze has encouraged women to ignore their minor flaws and love their bodies as they are.  Heck, if a man's beer belly can make national news as the new sexiest man characteristic, we can overlook a small imperfection in ourselves!

What do you think of the #DadBod and #MomBod movement?  Is this a fleeting craze or a meaningful movement?

DEATH BY TWITTER: Budweiser Edition

In the ever-more connected online and offline worlds, Death By Twitter doesn't always have to be caused by actions ON Twitter.  Even marketing choices that play out in the offline world can lead to social media uproar and.... well.... Death by Twitter!

That is exactly what happened this week as Budweiser came under hellfire for its new advertising slogan.  We've all seen the commercials for Bud Light, claiming it is "the perfect beer for whatever happens." Often, this is accompanied by the hashtag #UpForWhatever and commercials of silly instances like life-size Pacman games.

But this week, Bud Light took this a bit too far, adding a new slogan on some of their bottles: "The perfect beer for removing 'no' from your vocabulary for the night."  Well, within 24 hours of the release, Twittersphere was full of nay-sayers claiming the new slogan promotes a rape culture.

Budweiser has since, of course, apologized on Twitter, tweeting "We missed the mark on a new Bud Light label, and we regret it."

This one seems pretty obvious to me, as alcohol - or alcohol abuse - has very strongly been linked to sexual misconduct, date rape and other instances of violence. Digging a little deeper into the executive boards of Budweiser shines a light on why the company MIGHT have been blind to this. 

The team within Budweiser responsible for Bud Light is the North American branch of Anheuser-Busch InBev, the company that owns Budweiser.  Well, out of 14 executive seats leading this team, there is only one woman. By the same token, within Anheuser-Busch InBev itself, there is only one female executive on a team of 16.

Don't get me wrong.  I believe all people, not just women, should have a general awareness and sensitivity to not promoting the rape culture.  However, I can't help but think that the gender makeup of this executive team could tell us something about how such a marketing fail occurred for the brand.

Weigh in here, guys.  Do you think a more balanced exec board could lead to less marketing mistakes?

Why Lindsay Shouldn't Post In Arabic!

Oh, L.Lo.  What are we going to do with you!

I just see the name Lindsay Lohan in a headline now, and I assume it is going to be about something ridiculous.

Well, this week is no different.

Monday, Lindsay posted an inspirational quote to her Instagram followers (she has over 3 million followers!).  The picture, in English, said "You're beautiful" and then had an Arabic translation beneath.  Very nice.  Except, the translation was wrong.  Oops.  The Arabic portion actually translates into "You are a donkey" or "You are an ass".  

How does this even happen? Where did she get the pic!? Does she know Arabic?  This should be a general rule for posting languages: If you can't translate it yourself, don't post it!

Of course, Lindsay has taken down the blooper of a post, but not before setting off the social media world. If you notice #YouAreADonkey trending, now you know why!