Share this post:
What is branding? Some say, it’s a company’s reputation. Others believe it’s how you make your clients feel. To me branding is a tangible/visual way to describe your company’s character. If your brand were a person, they would have a very distinct personality, and may not care much about what people say. If this is the case, your brand might have a very good chance of becoming an authentic and memorable citizen in the branding universe or not… Depending on what you want to be remembered by…
As much as we are all oh-so-not-perfect, it is important to learn from the mistakes (others) make. Hence these examples below.
1. Careless tweeting
PR exec who sparked outrage with racist tweet. Justine Sacco, a former PR executive who sparked a firestorm of controversy on Twitter, did apologize for her “needless and careless tweet” about AIDS in Africa. Hard to believe this actually happened.
2. Not anticipating the consequences
A 3 step-guide to potentially killing your brand online. #FreshCoolGrow #LoveYourBrand Click To TweetAs much as I love and respect Oprah, this tweet is a great example of the importance of practicing awareness when marketing + branding a product. Remember how transparent marketing is these days. If you don’t mean it, don’t say it. Now, we are not sure about the background of this particular story, and how much Oprah really loves Surface… I am sure she owns and uses various tables and e-readers. The fact of the matter is – stay awake, and think 3 steps ahead.
3. Confusing “timely” with “insensitive”
It’s marketing 101 – make sure your tweets and Facebook posts are timely and relatable. So yes, it is advisable to be in-the-know, while creating content based on hot topics. There are some exceptions though. Natural disasters do fall under those exceptions. Naturally. Not only is this post insensitive, but also doesn’t make any sense – how “bored” is related to the storm? If you in that storm, and coincidentally, I actually WAS in New York during this storm, and the word “bored” wouldn’t necessary describe my state of mind at that time. Shopping definitely wasn’t my priority. What would have been a great idea to do, in my mind, to have this sale to SUPPORT the victims of the storm, by donating a portion of the proceeds from this sale??
