The Week in Social Media Snafus
March 16, 2011 by Traci McMurray
It wasn't that log ago when we had the wonderful goof made by the American Red Cross. Since then the world of social media has had quite a few not-so-pleasant hiccups, including two major social media mistakes this past week alone.
Chrysler just announced it is letting go of agency New Media Strategies because a social media manager tweeted a very unfortunate F-bomb that directly opposed the automaker's new Detroit-themed campaign.
The tweet read, “I find it ironic that Detroit is known as the #motorcity and yet no one here knows how to f****** drive.”
Then Aflac released comedian Gilbert Gottfried as the voice of their famous duck. Gottfried posted about 10 tweets that were "jokes" about the current crisis in Japan, a country that commands nearly 75% of the company's business. They immediately halted commercials and are on the hunt for a voiceover replacement.
Now, more than ever, it is important for brands to hire social media agencies they can truly trust, and it is important for social media managers to keep their personal accounts clearly separated. It's helpful to be personable and create natural conversation through social media, but consider yourself one of the official spokespeople for a brand, because that's exactly what you are.
Most importantly, let this be a lesson in the obvious - THINK BEFORE YOU TWEET!
