Parody Accounts vs. Real Accounts — the ultimate battle of the wits on social media. Companies should not only take notice, but take notes as parodies begin to gain more popularity than the accounts they mock.
Entertaining legions of twitter followers, these satire accounts have no trouble getting laughs but not everyone is in on the joke. Most companies are in the dark when it comes to social media, and the real joke will be on them if they don’t step up their Twitter game.
Parody accounts are one of Twitter’s most distinctive features. On this social media network you can virtually have any username to your liking, unlike on Google Plus and Facebook. Due to Twitter’s relaxed rules on parody and satire, these accounts have become the most celebrated form of poking fun at others.
Multi-task this Sunday. Watch the Super Bowl and be active on Twitter at the same time.
Super Bowl XVIII is just around the corner. In fact, it’s only two days away. While die-hard fans are gearing up to go to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, other fans are preparing their best homemade snacks to get ready for the game. It’s the Seattle Seahawks vs. the Denver Broncos this Sunday. Both teams have solid quarterbacks and plenty of personality on and off the field. Manning, the Bronco’s quarterback, is precise and accurate, while Wilson, the Seahawk’s quarterback, is flexible and fast. Continue reading →
Arby’s won the battle of the hat and the twitter feed.
In today’s digital world there is a constant battle of not only being the most creative, but also being able to think quick on your feet and take advantage of any opportunities thrown your way. This last Sunday at the Grammys, Arby’s did just that. Arby’s became an excellent example for communications professionals about how to jump into a digital conversation and stand out among the rest.
Last weekend, the Auburn versus Alabama game was one for the ages. The already heated rivalry produced an exciting, close game that eventually ended with Auburn coming out on top. In the end, a botched field goal was returned over 105 yards for a touchdown and the win. While social media made it easy to follow the game play-by-play, it also showcased one of the darker aspects of technology: the opportunity for easy, senseless bullying. Continue reading →
A recent BuzzFeed article showcased a hilarious Twitter conversation that has garnered a lot of attention. The conversation won the internet for one simple reason: it took place between major UK-based companies Tesco Mobile, Yorkshire Tea, Jaffa Cakes, and others.
Image courtesy of BuzzFeed
The exchange began when a man named Riccardo Esposito tweeted a picture to @tescomobile of a Facebook status complaining about the company’s customer service. Tesco responded in a clever and familiar way, leading to a full on conversation between the company and the random individual who caught its social media manager’s attention. The situation became truly remarkable when the back-and-forth between Esposito and Tesco turned to the subject of a party, getting food and tea brands involved. Acting like old friends, the banter turned into a playful argument that allowed the brands to bring the attention to their products and public images.
The responses were pithy and dripping with a typically British dry humor, making the exchange all the more enjoyable for those who so happened to be following one of the companies or customers involved. The conversation is funny because the companies are conversing like a solitary person amongst themselves and consumers. Because of the unlikeliness of the situation, the Internet, including BuzzFeed, picked it up and ran with it. The BuzzFeed article garnered a lot of attention for Riccardo Esposito, as well as the companies he engaged.
The conversation demonstrates a clever and thoughtful way to engage playfully with consumers using social media. Companies engaging with each other through platforms like Twitter allows them to entertain customers while potentially informing them about products and promotions in a subtle way. This situation also shows that branding through Twitter and other social media outlets doesn’t always have to be through promotional and special deal tweets. Because of the uniqueness of the situation, the conversation and how it unfolded would be hard to replicate, but the idea is eye-catching nonetheless.
Gone are the days of travel agents and agencies. Due to the Internet, new technology, and social media, many components of global travel have changed. Continue reading →
JP Morgan Chase & Co. is already in the negative spotlight due to eight Justice Department investigations. The company further cemented this negative attention after opening up a Q&A session on Twitter, using hashtag #AskJPM this past week.
Home Depot’s twitter account hit a new low yesterday when the company tweeted in regards to its ESPN College Gameday show sponsorship saying, “Which drummer is not like the others? See more @CollegeGameDay pics at #HDgameday #football.”
While this tweet didn’t read offensively, the photo that accompanied it of three drummers, two being African-American and the third wearing a gorilla suit, did. The tweet was quickly removed from Home Depot’s twitter account, but was unfortunately removed too late to avoid the negative social media buzz.
“PLEASE DO NOT WATCH THE SHOW THROUGH A SCREEN ON YOUR SMART DEVICE/CAMERA. PUT THAT S— AWAY…” stated a sign at a Yeah Yeah Yeahs concert. We’ve all done it. We’ve taken loads of pictures, tweeted, Instagrammed, and checked in, experiencing the concert through a screen. We do this to preserve and share our experiences with others, but using social media at concerts actually takes us out of the experience altogether.
Back in the ‘70s, Coca-Cola was known for promoting happiness by sharing with friends, family and strangers. It encouraged the ‘pass it on’ mentality when encouraging people to help one another out. Now coffee powerhouse, Starbucks, is adding a new twist to that concept through the world of social media. Continue reading →
Ryanair, Europe’s low far airline is known for many things, their outspoken CEO, Michael O’Leary being just one of the many. Known for his outrageous behavior, such as dressing up as a French chambermaid and cursing at journalists, it comes as no surprise that when O’Leary took to Twitter last week for a live Q&A session, things got interesting.
Twitter is becoming a new means of communication, specifically for company’s that wish to voice their opinions, concerns, and comments regarding their competitors. This new type of communication has been given the title “brand battles,”and these brand battles have become extremely prevalent throughout twitter. Although they are not nearly as entertaining as the feuds between celebrities, there are surely some brand battles that should not be missed. Continue reading →
Celebrities Politicians and tweeting. Today, celebrities and tweeting is huge. Millions of people follow celebrities. For many different reasons. Sometimes, people follow celebrities because they curious what they are up to and sometimes it’s because they like to know about the latest styles and trends. However, lately, it has become a huge trend for politicians to start using Twitter and social media to get their information out.
Snapchat has made its first move into the realm of social media after introducing “Snapchat Stories” on their blog Thursday. Stories will allow users to add multiple snaps from the past 24 hours together into “My Story,” which can then be shared with friends as a narrative of what they have done or seen that day. The new component adds dimension to the app known for sending pictures to friends for 10 seconds or less before disappearing.
“Update to iOS 7 and become waterproof” claims the ad (see picture below) explaining that “In an emergency, a smart-switch will shut off the phone’s power supply and corresponding components to prevent any damage to your iPhone’s delicate circuitry.”
Television: the broadcasting of a still or moving image via radiowaves to receivers that project a view of the image on a picture tube (Dictionary). Although the television still does the same job, the process of watching has tremendously changed in recent years. Did you really watch the finale of Breaking Bad if you didn’t make the Facebook status, “All bad things must come to an end”, were you one of the millions to tweet about Miley Cyrus’ VMA twerking performance? In the digital world it is not about watching, it is about telling.
Most of us social media junkies take to twitter at all hours of the day, tweeting out our musings to the masses. But how do you define “masses”? In other words, since you’re not Miley Cyrus, how many followers do you really have? Continue reading →
Earlier this month, Miley Cyrus yet again made national news when she “unfollowed” her ex-fiancé, Liam Hemsworth on Twitter. Older generations, like our parents seemed to wonder why this would make national news. Our generation on the other hand, thought “oh no she didn’t”. Being unfollowed is a new social networking tactic our generation can use to be mean.
If you’re stressed out by the WordPress interface then Medium might be for you. Twitter and Blogger creators Ev Williams created a new platform of blogging called Medium. Unlike other blogging sites, Medium is less complicated and focuses solely on writing. It is created for easy reading and work – it adjusts to mobile devices and is a great platform for collaborative blogging.