Online Engagement + Offline Action = Branding Win

Everyday, brands strive to create authentic, meaningful interactions with their customers.  Social Media has helped brands to do this on a larger scale.  But sometimes there is no comparison for good old fashioned, hitting-the-streets!  Creatively weaving off-line engagement into a campaign can create amazing results. 

Drum roll, please, for the best example I have seen of this- probably all year.

WestJet's Christmas Miracle Video.  I hadn't even HEARD of WestJet before today.  They fly mostly in Canada but also throughout the US and Mexico.  But this creative campaign of theirs found a direct route to my heart.  And not just mine!  The video has been viewed almost 2 million times in less than 48 hours.

If you haven't seen the video yet, the airline has an engaging online "live" Santa Claus that asks customers for their Christmas wishes as they approach the gate.  Within the time of the flight, WestJet pulls a Christmas Miracle and delivers the desired gifts to the passengers once they reach their destination!  The online/offline hybrid campaign has been a huge success for WestJet and the company's followup through Twitter has been equally impressive.  The company Twitter handle (@WestJet) is personally replying to tweets referencing the great ad and also coming up with the wittiest sayings to promote the video.

What a clever, fun and smart use of an advertising budget and Holiday campaign!  It's my favorite of the year!

Do you have any other favorite holiday campaigns?  Tell us below!

Death By Twitter: Rules & Lessons

My continuing editions of "Death By Twitter" have seen all types of fatalities due to stupid, offensive or otherwise not-so-Tweetable Tweets.  Whether it be a sports mascot, an Olympic athlete or a kitchen appliance, the Twittersphere  finds victims in all areas.

It seems the holidays is not turning out any differently.  Last week was particularly harsh on the world of social media. There have been severalfaux pas on Twitter the past week, from Nikki Finke's (Entertainment journalist and founder of Deadline.com) tweet following the death of Nelson Mandela that read...

to SpaghettiO's Pearl Harbor commemoration...

  

While I feel these are on two opposite ends of the spectrum, I want to take a different approach this "Death By Twitter" entry.  Instead of detailing the stories of Nikki Finke and SpaghettiO's and the backlash they received, let's try to take away a lesson.  While the tweets seem different in sentiment, they do have something in common.  Each took a tragic event and made it about something else.  Promotion.  While inserting your brand into a current event has proved viable for some (Oreo!!)  when war, famine or death are involved, it's safe to say that making the event about your brand is not wise. 

Use that rule of thumb when thinking about posting to commemorate events or pay respects.  After all, showing selflessness, even in something as small as a tweet, can go a long way.

What other "Rule Of Thumb" do you see playing out in Twittersphere?

Sneaky Social Media for Thanksgiving

Here's the thing.  Thanksgiving is all about family, friends and loved ones.  For many of us social media junkies, the same can be said for our social media habits.  Connecting with people continuously brings me joy!  However, our relatives might not all understand this.  There is nothing worse than getting vicious glares from Aunt Ida at Thanksgiving Dinner as I am uploading pics of the turkey to Instagram.

So, this Thanksgiving, I've got three sneaky ways to get your social media fix without ticking off the family!!

1) Spotify
Create a crowd sourced Spotify holiday mix!  You can have this playing in the background of your family meal, and even share your station with friends or family that can not be with you in person.

2) Pinterest
You need to OD on Pinterest TODAY and tomorrow morning folks! That is, before the gang gets together.  Searches for "Thanksgiving feast" or "Holiday table settings" will display a plethora of festive ideas. Get crafty!

3) Pic Stitch
Everyone will be taking photos this Thanksgiving. And of course you want to share these with everyone over social media!  Instead of posting each individual photo to your accounts- which takes time - use Pic Stitch to make a compilation of your photos and get all the awesome memories into one post!

And after you employ these moves, put down your tablet, mobile device and laptop for most of the day and connect with your loved ones. Afterall, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and all the rest will still be there tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

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?