CES Hashtags Have Been Hijacked! You'll Never Guess Who Did It!

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) opened its doors yesterday in Vegas, and the floodgates of new tech releases and product launches opened too! 

But before I cover all my favorites (Don't worry! I will cover them, check out AppChick.com.) there's a little snafu happening on social media concerning CES that is just too ridiculous not to talk about!

The CES hashtags have been hacked!! Okay, not REALLY hacked, but hijacked at least!  See, strip clubs all around the area have been using all the #CES hashtags nonstop since the conference started earlier today.  So much so, that you're likely to find just as many ads for strip clubs when using the hashtags as you are finding actual Consumer Electronics Show content!

To be honest, it is not a bad marketing idea.  Companies and brands are smart to tap into large groups of potential consumers in their areas.  But when it is a strip club, it just seems different!  I don't need pictures of girls in skimpy bikinis when I search for cool CES information!

Do you think strip clubs should be allowed to use this hashtag hacking tactic!?

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?