Tale of Hashtag Hijacking

A TALE OF HASHTAG HIJACKING NOT LONG AGO, THERE WAS A COMPANY BY THE NA ME OF MCDONALD'S IN ORDER TO PROMOTE. THEMSELVES THEY CREATED TWÓ HASHTAGS. #MCDSTORIES AND #MEETTHEFARMERS AT FIRST, THE TWEETS LOOKED LIKE THIS. McDonalds McDonald's O "When u make something w/pride, people can taste it," - Imlovin'it McD potato supplier #McDStories http://t.co/HAPM5G9F y About three weeks ago via web Favorite 13 Retweet 6 Reply BUT SOON THEY LOOKED LIKE THIS. PrettyTallerr â TM¥ MICHAELAIlouise â TM¥ My brother finding a fake finger nail in his fries. #McDStories y About three weeks ago via Mobile Web Favorite t3 Retweet + Reply WHY? *elevator muzak* Here's a Venn diagram illustrating the interests of McDonald's, and the interests of the average human being: everyone else. The mistake McDonald's made was assuming that their very optimistic self-image as a company was reflected in the minds of the public. A more realistic approach would've been a little better. Something like this: let's be friends oкay! everyone else. Also known as "finding common ground." *end muzak* When someone creates a hashtag for a specific purpose, it may be "hijacked". Let's look at a McDonald's example: #McDStories What the company used it for: Anecdotes involving their brand Befriending sceptics Anything they like Viral marketing Positive PR Laughs Consumer promotion Bettering their social media image What the public used it for: Truth-telling Viral marketing Laughs Anything they like Distorting a corporate message Anti-PR Horror stories involving the brand Fun Brand criticism Twitter hijacking (noun): The art of using a defined Twitter hashtag for the opposite purpose to that which was intended, usually with disastrous results for the creator. Oddly, this makes the topic in question "trend" (become very popular) far more easily: A CONTROVERSY A: Company creates the hashtag, most people with common sense ignore it, and life goes on. B: The hashtag is hijacked and turned into a PR nightmare, and the hashtag goes viral as people tune in. ADVICE TIME If you're a large company, chances are that your social media use will need to be planned down to the smallest detail. Not doing so leads to events like the McDonald's hashtag hijacking, which will damage your public image. Not a good thing. INSTEAD: - Join in on other people's hashtag trends, and try to be funny and pleasant while doing so. - Talk to people on Twitter as a person, not as a corporate entity - If you know you've got a somewhat mixed reputation, think your hashtag choice through a little more carefully. GOOD LUCK AND HAPPY HASHTAGGING OMORE DIGITAL 2012 wwW.MOREDIGITAL,COM POPULARITY