We’ve been asked the following question by Influencing PR: How can PRs successfully use Twitter hashtags? And if it backfires in some way, how can you recover? This is after McDonalds stuffed up a Twitter hashtag stunt earlier in the week, similar to the QANTAS mess up last year.
To the first question, 3 points below:
♥ Be brave enough to make (small) mistakes, but only once. I’m not down on these guys; please keep at it. I would rather support Qantas and McDonalds who are really trying for my loyalty, than a company that is not. In their own sectors, Hugos Restaurant (Manly) and JB HiFi are doing really interesting online activities. Watch also The Daily Tele SmartEdition (none of the companies mentioned are clients).
♥ However, as carpenters say: ‘Measure Thrice, Cut Once; Measure Once, Cut Thrice’. Or, think things through. In hindsight it is obvious, what should have been clear in foresight, that such #suggestions were always going to bring out the best and worst in headline writers and smart alecs. As one article, “McDonald’s Twitter Campaign Backfires”, quoted one user: “@McDonalds scalds baby chicks alive for nuggets,” – retweeted 100+ times.
♥ Remember the 3 Dribbles – the checklist essentials for any brand campaign – all possibly forgotten these two times: will it make us (in the eye of the beholder) more credible, desirable, reliable.
The story written by Tim Lince of Influencing PR is here (you may have to register).
To the second point? It takes 6 elements in Twitter comms for recovery:
- accurate self-assessment,
- accurate assessment of community expectations,
- time,
- honesty and transparency in frequent communications,
- preparedness to eat crow, and
- patience.
Rupert Murdoch is making a fist of it. @rupertmurdoch – 160,000+ followers and climbing; following 18.
