10 Worst Social Media Meltdowns Of 2013
Social media can be a marketer's best friend or worst enemy. Consider the year's social media-fueled nightmares.
No year would be complete without a roundup of memorable social media meltdowns, from Facebook faux pas to epic Twitter tirades. We're not talking about ill-considered pictures, or posts that reveal you skipped the family picnic and lied about it. We're talking about big brands -- with much to lose.
Brands had plenty of opportunities to learn from last year's mistakes. In 2012, Chick-Fil-A found itself engulfed in two social media disasters after its CEO famously spoke out against same-sex marriage. Facebook users promptly plastered its page with comments denouncing the restaurant chain, and it later fielded accusations that it created a fake Facebook account to come to the company's defense.
In 2012, KitchenAid caused a stir after an employee mistakenly posted an anti-Obama tweet under the corporate Twitter account during the first presidential debate. It read: "Obamas gma even knew it was going 2 be bad! She died 3 days b4 he became president. #nbcpolitics." To the company's credit, it quickly deleted the tweet and issued an apology.
And then there were the brands that attempted -- in poor taste -- to capitalize on 2012's current events. Online store CelebBoutique posted a promotion on Twitter during the Aurora, Colo., shooting encouraging followers to purchase its Kim Kardashian-inspired dress, which was named "Aurora." And both American Apparel and Gap posted tweets during Hurricane Sandy encouraging followers to shop online if they were bored.
This year, however, brands committed some of the same social media mistakes: rogue employees posting to social networks, tasteless promotions during tragedies, and scandals caused by loose-lipped CEOs. 2013 saw a number of new and noteworthy social media scandals, too.
Take, for example, the disgruntled British Airways customer who made headlines in September after he took matters into his own hands by digging deep into his pockets.
Twitter user Hasan Syed, who was frustrated over British Airways' inaction after losing his father's luggage, spent $1,000 to promote a tweet in New York City and the United Kingdom slamming the airline. The tweet, which was seen by nearly 77,000 people, according to a screenshot Syed posted, read: "Don't fly @BritishAirways. Their customer service is horrendous."
When British Airways finally replied to Syed's tweets, it apologized for the delay and informed him that the company's "Twitter feed is open 0900-1700 GMT." Syed's reply: "How does a billion dollar corp only have 9-5 social media support for a business that operates 24/7?" A valid question, no doubt. Syed and British Airways reportedly connected later to resolve the missing luggage issue.
Read more: 3 Lessons From British Airways Twitter Flap.
What other social-fueled meltdowns went viral? Read on -- and vow not to repeat the same kinds of mistakes.
Restaurant chain Applebee's fired a waitress in St. Louis after she posted a photo of a customer's receipt that went viral on Reddit. Posting the receipt, on which the patron -- a local pastor -- wrote "I give God 10% why do you get 18?" violated corporate policy, the company said.
In an attempt to respond to the news coverage and share its side of the story, Applebee's posted a message on its Facebook page, part of which said: "Our Guests' personal information -- including their meal check -- is private, and neither Applebee's nor its franchises have a right to share this information publicly."
The problem, which thousands of Facebook followers noted: Just two weeks prior, the restaurant posted a picture of a note from a guest that featured the guest's name. Applebee's promptly deleted that photo, adding fuel to the angry customer's fire.
In January, a social media executive for music chain HMV live-tweeted the firing of 190 staff from the corporate Twitter account. "We're tweeting live from HR where we're all being fired! Exciting!!" the first tweet read. Eventually, the marketing director caught wind of the rogue tweeting, which of course was live-tweeted, too: "Just overheard our Marketing Director (he's staying, folks!) ask 'How do I shut down Twitter?'"
What happens when robots run your Twitter feed? It started with a tweet by @darthmarkh about New York City police chasing him away from his "chalkupy" sidewalk chalk drawing outside a Bank of America. That's when Bank of America's "BofA_Help" Twitter account picked up on the activity and kicked into high gear, tweeting the same generic answers to those who commented on @darthmarkh's original post. Regardless of the tweets' content, the account offered to "review your account with you to discuss any concerns."
Barilla found itself in hot water after its CEO made anti-gay and sexist remarks on an Italian radio station. Barilla promptly posted a barrage of apologies -- four, in fact -- on various social media platforms, but users weren't buying it. One Facebook user's response to the debacle: the above photo of a doctored rigatoni box, which went viral.
London Luton Airport learned the hard way to think before you post on Facebook. The airline posted a photo of a crashed airplane with a comment that read, "Because we are such a super airport ... this is what we prevent you from when it snows ... Weeeee :)" The problem: The 2005 plane crash depicted in the image killed a six-year-old boy. The airport drew ire from Facebook followers, and subsequently issued an apology.
Some ideas are better in theory than in practice. In November, JPMorgan Chase asked followers to send questions to an executive using the hashtag #AskJPM. The company said it was an opportunity for college students to communicate with an executive. What the company didn't expect was the barrage of angry and snarky posts, including "Can I have my house back?" JPMorgan Chase ultimately canceled the Q&A.
Earlier this year, activist group Women, Action & the Media (WAM) petitioned Facebook to ban content, often in the form of memes and tasteless groups, which it said endorsed violence against women. Facebook declined to censor the content, calling it it free speech and citing humor policies.
The protest, called the #FBrape campaign, encouraged users to contact Facebook advertisers whose ads had appeared next to the offensive content. The campaign generated more than 60,000 tweets and 5,000 emails, ultimately prompting Facebook to crack down.
What do food and bombings have in common? Nothing, which is where recipe website Epicurious went wrong. The company reacted to the Boston Marathon bombings in April with two tweets suggesting that cranberry scones and cereal would help the city get through the tragedy -- a tasteless tactic, to say the least.
Perhaps the most memorable meltdown of the year featured an Arizona bakery visited by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey on the television show Kitchen Nightmares. After the episode aired, viewers took to the bakery's Facebook page to criticize the owner for not changing her ways. The result: an epic hour-long, all-caps rant unlike any other.
Perhaps the most memorable meltdown of the year featured an Arizona bakery visited by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey on the television show Kitchen Nightmares. After the episode aired, viewers took to the bakery's Facebook page to criticize the owner for not changing her ways. The result: an epic hour-long, all-caps rant unlike any other.
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