Very Serious Business

Summary

This video takes a humorous and critical look at various marketing blunders and online mishaps by big brands. It recounts the chaotic events at the Agile 2013 conference, where trolls hijacked a Twitter feed, McDonald's failed social media campaigns, and other disastrous brand initiatives like SOS Condoms and Pizza Twitter fails. With a mix of corporate missteps, internet trolling, and meme culture, the video explores how brands struggled with online presence and faced backlash for their misguided attempts at engagement.

Takeaways

• 😀 Businesses need to balance professionalism with creativity to avoid embarrassing PR disasters.
• 😀 Unmoderated interactive elements, such as Twitter feeds at events, can easily be hijacked by trolls, causing chaos.
• 😀 In response to trolling, companies often overreact, escalating the situation rather than diffusing it.
• 😀 Quick, reactive measures like hashtag changes or spam reporting might be ineffective against persistent trolls.
• 😀 Social media campaigns that ask for user input can backfire when people use it to share negative or shocking experiences.
• 😀 The 'hashtag fail' is a common pitfall when companies don't properly anticipate how the public will engage with their campaigns.
• 😀 Satirical or dark humor can quickly turn an innocent campaign into a PR nightmare, as seen with McDonald's #McDStories.
• 😀 When brands attempt to be relatable on social media, they risk oversaturating their audience with attempts at 'relatability'.
• 😀 Despite major marketing blunders, companies continue to try and innovate with gimmicks that sometimes become viral for the wrong reasons.
• 😀 The internet's ability to disrupt and hijack brand campaigns is powerful, as shown by the SOS condoms campaign and others.
• 😀 Memes like 'Silence Brand' have emerged as a response to over-commercialization, and now serve as a form of social media 'quality control' for users.

Q & A

What was the main purpose of the Agile 2013 conference mentioned in the script?

The main purpose of the Agile 2013 conference was to host keynotes, panels, and networking opportunities for professionals in the agile business methodology, with interactive displays designed to foster engagement among attendees.

How did the Twitter feed integration at the Agile 2013 conference backfire?

The Twitter feed integration backfired when attendees started misusing the hashtag #agile2013, posting offensive and inappropriate content, which escalated quickly. Organizers tried to stop it by reporting spammers, but the response was ineffective, leading to the eventual shutdown of the feed.

What was the outcome when Agile organizers attempted to control the misuse of the hashtag?

Agile organizers' attempts to control the misuse of the hashtag were ineffective, as they resorted to reporting the offensive accounts. However, the spammers created new accounts, and the situation spiraled out of control, resulting in the shutdown of the hashtag and the displays.

What was the result of McDonald's 'McD's Stories' Twitter campaign?

McDonald's 'McD's Stories' campaign was quickly hijacked by Twitter users, who began sharing negative and disturbing stories about their McDonald's experiences. The campaign was pulled within two hours, and McDonald's replaced it with a less controversial hashtag, 'little things.'

How did McDonald's 'Create Your Own Custom Burger' campaign lead to trouble?

McDonald's 'Create Your Own Custom Burger' campaign led to trouble when users submitted offensive and inappropriate burger names. These included shocking and obscene references, which quickly gained media attention and forced McDonald's to shut down the campaign.

What was the controversy surrounding the SOS Condoms campaign?

The SOS Condoms campaign aimed to provide discreet condom delivery but faced backlash when the government shut it down, citing concerns about promoting promiscuity. The campaign tried to expand globally, but an online poll led to unexpected results, with a Turkish city winning the vote, further escalating the controversy.

What happened when Zono posted a tweet related to National Domestic Violence Awareness Day?

Zono posted an inappropriate tweet during National Domestic Violence Awareness Day, which trivialized the serious nature of the subject. The tweet quickly drew backlash, and Zono issued multiple apologies, but the incident gained media attention, causing further damage to the brand's reputation.

What was the public reaction to brands becoming too 'relatable' on social media?

The public grew tired of brands attempting to be overly relatable on social media. It became a meme, symbolized by the 'silence, brand' spider crab meme, representing the fatigue consumers felt when brands tried too hard to connect with their audience in a relatable way.

What is the 'silence, brand' meme, and what role did it play in the script?

The 'silence, brand' meme, represented by a spider crab with laser eyes, became a way for users to call out brands for being overly 'relatable' on social media. It served as a form of quality control, highlighting when brands crossed the line into annoyance and when they should stop engaging with their audience in that manner.

What did the script suggest about the evolution of brand marketing on social media?

The script suggested that brand marketing on social media evolved from overly formal and stiff content to more playful and engaging interactions, especially with brands like Wendy's and Arby’s embracing humor and memes. However, this approach also had its pitfalls, leading to over-saturation and user fatigue, exemplified by the 'silence, brand' meme.