Tweet Smarter

As the author of a blog through which I hope to gain loyal and satisfied readers, it is beneficial to occasionally pause and take note of those social media marketing techniques that were profoundly unsuccessful.  To learn by example, and lack there of, is arguably the best kind of education.  In the spirit of countdowns (isn’t that what January is all about?), the following is a ranked list of the worst marketing fumbles in 2011.

(8) Qantas Airlines 


Social media sites, especially Twitter, can be a wonderful tool for positive publicity and they can also be a device lending to sabotage.  Qantas Australian Airline is a prime example of a company’s marketing plan turning on them.  Qantas began a contest on Twitter asking customers to tweet their idea of in-flight luxury, mere weeks after a majority of the airline’s flights had been grounded due to strikes.  Still heated over the inconvenience, these patrons used the contest hashtag as an outlet by which to voice their frustrations.  Not good.

(7) Miami Heat

For those who think that the things they say on twitter or other digital media sites have less consequence than those said aloud, this has been proven quite false.  Shortly before the NBA lockouts were negotiated, three different team owners spoke publicly about details which had been strictly banned.  The difference in the three owners’ behavior was that two of them, Michael Jordan and Ted Leonsis, made their commentary in real time.  Micky Arison of the Miami Heat and Carnival Crusies, however, tweeted and retweeted about the lockout.  He additionally sunk to the level of arguing with an NBA fan over the medium about owner greed.  The internet is written in ink and not easily refuted, denied or forgotten.

(6) Chrysler

A Chrysler media employee tweeted negatively about Detroit shortly after the company had launched a new campaign in support of city’s industry.  The PR agent made an off-the-clock comment about no one in the city knowing how to ‘f**king drive’.  He was fired from the agency and Chrysler also refused to renew their contract with the group.  Stakes are higher in certain fields and the media industry is a particularly poignant example, because when social outlet etiquette is a direct component of their job, there is even less margin for error.

(5) Netflix 


A rather rookie mistake that a company can make is to not ensure that a twitter account name is wholly their own.  Just ask Netflix.  When they voiced the plan to create a separate service called Qwikster for DVD rentals, leaving online and direct-to-TV viewing with the namesake, marketers did not check all of their bases.  The domain name already belonged to an undesirable young drug user who took his 15 minutes of fame and ran with it.  By the time the entire idea for the split had been scrapped, almost a million subscribers had taken their business elsewhere.

(4) Kenneth Cole

In other instances it is not off-collar commentary of an employee, but a discussed and highly executed method by the public relations company that receives backlash.  Kenneth Cole’s statement regarding social media in the middle east being a result of their new spring line, while intended to be a joke, was still delivered in poor taste and at the wrong point in time.

(3) GoDaddy

While certain behavior would strike most as an obvious mistake, it is worthwhile to discuss the importance of keeping personal hobbies and opinions out of the proverbial workplace.  The CEO of GoDaddy.com tweeted a video of him hunting and killing an elephant.  
PETA staged a very verbal boycott, and other like brands offered deals and gave money to elephant conservation efforts as a statement against the distaste exhibited by GoDaddy. 

(2) Anthony Weiner

After 12 years as a congressman in the House of Representatives, Anthony Weiner destroyed his chances as a potential NYC mayoral candidate.  An entire political career was shattered with a single inappropriate tweet. 

(1) Ashton Kutcher

While companies and their PR representatives are often the culprits of bad publicity, occasionally a celebrity is their own worst enemy.  Enter Ashton Kutcher: husband of the year and long-time sufferer of foot-in-mouth disease.  Before as much as attempting to research the Penn State scandal involving Joe Paterno, Kutcher sent the following tweet:  "How do you fire Jo Pa? #insult #no class as a hawkeye fan I find it in poor taste."  Of course, an apology was in order, but the damage had already been done and the actor had no other choice but to hand over complete control of his twitter account to his PR team. 

*Side commentary: I cannot stand Ashton Kutcher, but in all objectivity, can someone tell him that he was lucky enough to gain the undeserved attention and level of fame that he has.  Even though he has the value of any overgrown frat boy who thinks his every mindless opinion should be tweeted, blogged (pretty metrosexual by the way, guys), and supported by people who he himself gives no credit to, you’re going to pay more for said behavior.  I do not wish Kutcher as a father on any child, but it is about time he had someone beside himself to obsess over.

Thanks for reading friends, happy back to school! 

                                                                                                                                        xoxo , Carli