After learning about the great big world of twitter and hashtags, I am overwhelmed by the amount of thought that should go into any viral campaign. In researching and reading about campaigns gone wrong I thought that I would share with you one that I found. One that had every intention of being light-hearted, fun and harmless. Budweiser decided that they would pair their summer campaign ‘Up for whatever’ with the phrase, that they even had printed on the bottles, “The perfect beer for removing ‘No’ from your vocabulary for the night’. While this seems ok at first especially maybe for the guy on vacation that normally has to say “No” to a good time because of being a responsible employee. The campaign quickly backfired when the timing of the campaign was close on the heels of the ‘No means No’ campaign supporting the anti-rape protest. Not only did the slogan bring a bad connotation to the marketing strategy, but alcohol is usually a component of sex crimes. Budweiser quickly made a statement clearing up the possible confusion. “ In the spirit, we created more than 140 different scroll messages intended to encourage spontaneous fun. It’s clear that this message missed the mark, and we regret it.” At first thought, Budweiser’s response was a little lackluster. But in thinking about the nature of their product and business I think that it was appropriate. Had Budweiser been trying to take a stab at the “No means No’ campaign it would have needed much more sensitivity. The fact that it was completely innocent with sole intention of encouraging drinkers to have a good time and enjoy a little spontaneity makes the apology for the misunderstanding very acceptable. After all, the relaxed concept became twisted and was taken offensively which is the very nature of the product. Expecting anything different from anything alcohol-related is a stretch, in my opinion. With all of that being said, companies like Budweiser, that carry such a strong following should probably take the time to do a proper test run. Understanding the product and how easily it can be taken the wrong way truly puts emphasis on running through every possible scenario to assure that it is safe and doesn’t make any enemies. #TestRunsareimportant
After finding several campaigns that had a nasty fall, I found one this past week that was spot on in perfection. It was done so well, gained much attention (the right attention) and had an interactive element that was powerful. #Enditnowmovement had a special day Thursday. Well, lets back up and explain that End it Now is a campaign dedicated bringing awareness to people all across the world to end sex trafficking and slavery. This week, they asked people to draw a red “x” on their hand then take a picture and post it across any social media platform with the hashtag #enditnowmovement. This campaign was called Shine a Light on Slavery Day. There are actually more people trapped in slavery today than there ever have been. Some of the pictures were moving and meaningful. I think they really nailed it with this campaign. They got people involved which starts conversations and questions about what sex slavery is and what we can do to stop it. Talking normally starts actions and that is the intention of a campaign of this nature. Visit #Enditnowmovement.
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