3 ways to avoid a hashtag PR debacle
McDonald’s saw another hashtag campaign—this one around #Shamrocking—hijacked by Twitter users. Here’s how you can avoid such fate.
After the #McDstories hashtag was hijacked a few weeks ago, the fast food giant is at it again. This time, they’re trying to capitalize on the “Tebowing” phenomenon by highlighting people who are super excited about their Shamrock Shake (see #Shamrocking).
The problem is that people haven’t forgotten #McDstories, and as Adweek points out:
“Clearly, the word #Shamrocking has great potential for being misused—and apparently already has one truly unsavory existing meaning. And let’s face it—McDonald’s is always going to suffer a certain amount of abuse whenever it tries to engage the public in social media.”
When will brands learn that hashtag campaigns seldom work. Even so, if you’re determined to subject your brand to one, here are a few tips.
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