Every year see’s its own mistakes and mishaps (I’m just sad I couldn’t include the Susan Boyle album release hashtag of #susanalbumparty as it came at the end of 2012) but 2013 has seen some truly unfortunate PR disasters and others that are just plain senseless or distasteful. However no matter how much they make us laugh or cringe, each example teaches us, as SEO’s, marketers or PR’s, a lesson so that we don’t make the same mistakes when 2014 rolls around. So before another happens becomes a worldwide trenching topic, let’s take a look at the worst marketing fails of 2013.
HMV’s Employee Twitter TakeoverSpeaking of trending topics, it only makes sense to start with what is now firmly a fundamental aspect of any business’s marketing strategy: social media. All companies will have disgruntled employees and none more so than HMV during its collapse at the beginning of the year, with an employee liveblogging what was hashtagged as #hmvXFactorFiring and described blow for blow the internal ‘mass execution’ that was taking place to HMV’s near 64,000 followers.
Lesson: Always know who has access to your social accounts, especially in possible times of turmoil. The most embarrassing moment of the Twitter takeover comes with the tweet: “Just overheard our Marketing Director (he’s staying, folks) ask “How do I shut down Twitter?”” Ouch. Social is so important today, know it through and through and don’t allow just anybody on to the account as it is the most easily accessible version of your brand’s voice.
Read more