Black Friday Starts Early on Social Media!

COUNTDOWN BEGINS.
One week.

Thanksgiving will be over, our tummies will be time for.... SHOPPING!

Black Friday is almost here but it seems like every year things start earlier and earlier. And one place you can surely keep up with what's going on is on Twitter. In fact, Amazon announced that it is going to be blasting out deals every 10 minutes starting this Sunday!
Of course, Amazon is completely online so you'll need to be glued to your computer to find the deals but some of these savings are steep! A Vizio 55-inch smart HDTV for $479.99 (usually it sells for $775.98), a Google Chromecast for $29.99 (usually $35) and I am sure many many more.

Now, this is not intended to be an ad for Amazon. It is interesting to me, though, that their "every 10 minutes" marketing plan syncs so well with the fast-paced style of social media. Black Friday is totally going social this year, you guys! In fact, many retailers have created special Twitter handles or Facebook pages just for their Black Friday deals! My favorite is Target who is giving away $25 gift cards through an app on Facebook and have a special Twitter handle -@ChristmasChamp - giving out advice on all things Black Friday at Target!

What makes a Tweet Trashable?

Now you see it, now you don't!

That's how things have been lately in the Twittersphere. Unintentional, unwise and unsavory tweets by companies, brands and individuals are being deleted from Twitter feeds now more than ever. Of course, in today's world, even when it's off of Twitter, it's not gone forever. I've collected the best of this week's deleted Tweets in what I'll call: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly!

The Good:

Not all deleted Tweets are terrible. Yet, with all the fire-able offences out there today, it's dangerous to be even a little risque. That was likely the case with this Charmin tweet that was deleted earlier this week.

 

If you don't get it, Asgard is Thor's home planet. Also, Charmin "guards" your derriere. And because I love a good pun, I digress.

The Bad:

News Flash to sports figures!! Do Not Tweet When You Are Upset About Your Game! After Matt Barnes's ejection from the LA Clippers game last night, he tweeted some choice profanity about the incident. Bad idea. Barnes has been slapped with a $25,000 fine for his behavior and profanity. Of course, the tweet is deleted now, but- really- when will these people learn!!??

The Ugly:

Downright racist or demeaning tweets are another category altogether. Just ugly. Home Depot has been blaming its previous ad agency for their tweet that depicted two African-American drummers and a third man wearing a monkey mask with the caption "Which drummer is not like the others?" The tweet is now deleted, as is Home Depot's relationship with that agency and the job of the employee who posted the tweet. Home Depot's basically deflected all responsibility for the tweet. But for me, it's hard to believe Home Depot would give free reign to an agency to completely control their Twitter. Shame on them.

Death By Twitter: Beach Edition

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? 

Death By Twitter: Mascot Edition

You know the old adage about topics to avoid at parties: politics and religion.

I think we need a new such adage about topics not to joke about on Social Media. At the top of this list: suicide.

An unlikely Tweeter learned this lesson the hard way this week, and makes our latest "Death by Twitter".

Freddie the Falcon is the mascot for the NFL's Atlanta Falcons, a team that is currently not doing so hot on the field with a 2-6 record so far this year.

Well, Freddie decided to tie in his recent appearance at a American Foundation for Suicide Prevention walk with his team's recent dismal performance. After the walk, Freddie posted a message on Twitter that has since been deleted, reading:

"Had a good time at the #ood suicide prevention walk today. I may need to go back if our season continues the way it is."

I am always baffled at who approves these Tweets. Getting a slight laugh over a topic that is so emotionally packed, especially after just supporting people who care deeply about the prevention, is just irresponsible.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention released the following statement, in what I think is a classy way to handle this situation:

For the more than 1,000 survivors of suicide loss who participated in today's walk, suicide prevention is no laughing matter. We hope everyone who joined us today, including Freddie, support our vision for a world without suicide.

 

Freddie realized the error in his ways and posted the following apology not much later. There is no word yet as to if the social media manager who allowed this still has a job or not. We've seen many lose their jobs due to tasteless tweets. Do you think this is a fireable offense? 

DIY Costumes for Social Media Mavens!

BOO!

Yes, folks, it's Halloween weekend! (Well, at least the first of two!)

And if you are a last minute planner, you might have not planned a costume yet.

Well don't just throw a bedsheet over your head and say you are a ghost (although, that is fun, I know from experience).  If you are obsessed with Social Media like I am, some of these awesome Internet Inspired Costumes will be worth the effort!!

DIFFICULT:

So, yeah, Grumpy Cat isn't new but he IS adorable. And you will be too in this costume.  Basically an adaptation of the normal, everyday cat costume.  Add heavily darkened eyes, a frown over your mouth and make a cardboard frame for yourself and voila! 

EASY:

With a basic black or white outfit and some construction paper, you can transform yourself into either hardware or software that everyone loves.  A black dress + Mini apps = iPhone!! White outfit + cardboard easel = Pinterest board!  Or even easier -- just wear a white shirt with some safety pins!

EVEN EASIER:

Okay, this is for people who are kinda slackers, but we love you anyway.  Write on a shirt: "ERROR 404: Costume Not Found".  All of a sudden, your laziness looks like tech genius.  You're welcome.

No matter what your preferred level of difficulty, have fun, be safe and HAPPY Halloween!!

What Breaking Bad and Oreos Have In Common

SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT.

If you haven't watched the final episode of Breaking Bad, stop reading now.

 

Great, I figured since it's been almost a week since the final episode, it was pretty much safe to write about this.  Remember during last year's Superbowl blackout when Oreo placed that awesome real-time ad on Twitter?  Well, people are referring to similar real-time marketing efforts "Oreo Moments" now (how's that for some residual branding!). 

And the series finale that had everyone talking had some pretty great attempts at "Oreo Moments". 

I've listed my favorite three below.

 

 

Clorox on Twitter: Maybe the most similar to the Oreo Moment, is Clorox's tightie whitie ad.  Granted, this seems less real-time than the Oreo ad because it is a nod to Walter's choice undies, which was part of the plot line for years now.  This could have easily been thought up months ago and just ready to tweet.  Still, I like the tie-in. 

Century 21 and Craigslist:

Using a little bit of a different avenue, Century 21 pulled a clever stunt just hours before the finale's start by posting a fake ad for the White's New Mexico home on Craigslist sales page.  The ad claimed it was selling the ranch style Albuquerque home and called it "fit for a king" as well as a host of other insider tidbits in the description. 

Truvia on Twitter: Here's the REAL spoiler alert, which goes along with my personal favorite ad for this blog.  Background: In the final episode, Walter kills someone by replacing her choice sweetener, stevia, with poison. This Truvia ad makes my #1 spot because it's clever AND was obviously thought up in real-time as the finale aired.  Granted, the ad didn't post for a few hours after the show.... but still, the edginess of the tweet probably had to clear some level of lawyers!

How about you?  See any other "Oreo Moments" in the Breaking Bad series finale??

Government Shutdowns on Twitter!

The government shutdown.

It's what everyone is talking about.

And while you may not have experienced ramifications of this yet in your day to day life, I'm gonna clue you in on some that are on Twitter!

Yup. When certain government sections are shut down, well it means their Twitter accounts are shut down too! So for now, until they get this mess fixed, here are 5 Government accounts that you shouldn't expect to hear tweeting....

1. U.S. Capitol (@USCapitol): Probably to be expected (and not sure who follows this anyway) but no more tweets from the Capital for now.

2.FAA Safety Briefing (@FAASafetyBrief): More relevant I might say, this account is meant to update with flying safety news, but is shutdown for now.

3. StatueOfLiberty (@StatueLibrtyNPS): Hope you weren't planning a visit to Lady Liberty any time soon. You won't be able to check her out on Twitter if you were.

4. National Zoo (@NationalZoo): Another main tourist attraction down. And not only is their Twitter down but so is the Panda Cam feed (which was just adorably cute, by the way!)

5. NASA's Asteroid Watch (@asteroidwatch): Let's just pray no asteroids are on a collision course with earth right now or us Twitter-folk will be in for a surprise!

How else have you been effected by the shutdown?