We will now add to the adage I mentioned earlier this week: "Things Not To Joke About On Social Media". Suicide and Shootings.
One would think that these are self-evident, yet another rule breaker comes to light this week, after the shootings at LAX. Newport Beach's marketing director (or shall I say former marketing director), Jeff Soto tweeted this less-than-savvy tweet less than three hours after the shooting.
Yeah, that one is a firable offense. The tweet was removed within the hour and Soto's job did not last much longer.
Take this as a cautionary tale. Followup tweets from Newport Beach explained that they hadn't seen the update of the fatal shooting yet and were focusing on reports of closures and people stuck at the airport. In an attempt to make quick and relevant updates (think "Oreo Moment"), they ended up making a faux pas.
“It’s ultimately our fault to rush something out without finding all the facts. We wouldn’t intentionally do this I assure you,” the group Tweeted Friday.
In this case, I think three hours after the incident is enough time to get the whole story. But it brings up an interesting point. Our benchmark for this "real-time relevant marketing" is typically the aforementioned "Oreo Moment", when the brand tweeted a pic after the SuperBowl Blackout. If that blackout had been fatal, or -God forbid- an attack, we might be shaming Oreo instead of praising it!
How do you balance fact-finding with real-time tweeting?
