What can you do when your marketing and PR efforts get engulfed in fail? Two social media strategists walk through candid case studies of how brands have faced down an angry Internet — and sometimes even came out better for it.

2. David Griner
Dave Peck
Director of Digital Content
Social Media Strategist
Luckie & Company
Meshin
@Griner
@DavePeck

3. This slideshow was originally presented at
BlogWorld & New Media Expo – 2011 NYC.
Special thanks to:
Deb Ng
Arik Hanson
Chuck Hemann
+ all the
BlogWorld sponsors

4. And now on to the case studies…

5. #DoucheFail

6. When Summer’s Eve
bought a recent
advertorial piece in
Women’s Day, the
focus was on closing
the salary gap.

7. But women didn’t
really appreciate
Step 1 of the plan.

8. But women didn’t
really appreciate
Step 1 of the plan.

13. To their credit, Summer’s Eve wasted
little time in responding to the
“alternative conclusion” some
readers had read into the ad.

14. To their credit, Summer’s Eve wasted
little time in responding to the
“alternative conclusion” some
readers had read into the ad.
“ I would like to first of all apologize
if this ad in anyway has offended
anyone. We are taking immediate
next steps to remove the ad from
”
circulation.
— Angela Bryant,
Sr. Brand Manager,
Summer’s Eve

15. But the brand didn’t stop
there. They quickly
launched a national series
of “open and frank
discussions” with U.S.
women.

16. But the brand didn’t stop
there. They quickly
launched a national series
of “open and frank
discussions” with U.S.
women.
(40% of whom apparently
“misidentify the vagina on
an anatomical diagram,”
according to a corporate
press release)

17. Bryant even recapped the
experience in an op-ed piece.

18. The lessons:
• Social media disaster can strike even
when you’re not marketing in social
media
• Respond quickly and humbly
• Clarify how a poor decision was reached
• Show that you’re learning from the
experience and committed to doing better

19. #TweetFail

20. Five years after the launch of Twitter,
social media professionals still keep
using it to make asses of themselves.

22. Oh no! Hackers?!

23. Nope. Just an entry-level agency staffer,
forgetting to change his mobile app login.

24. Repercussions:
1. Employee fired by agency
2. Agency fired by Chrysler

28. The lessons:
• Create safeguards
• Be selective in your account admins
• Stay attentive and involved
• Avoid the allure of convenience
• Recognize that mistakes will happen,
and don’t take yourself too seriously

29. #TrueLoveFail

30. A 23-year-old man
and his 47-year-old
fiancée in Singapore
took their forbidden
romance to Facebook
and YouTube, asking
for support.

31. Garnering 3,500 Likes on
Facebook, they promised to
stream “the big day” live.

32. At the last second, Mark
remembered the ring and ran
back toward the house.

33. Then viewers heard the
sound of a crash.

34. Then viewers heard the
sound of a crash.
The screen went black,
and a message
appeared, saying
“Unexpected things
happen in life. Be
insured to have your
loved ones assured.”

36. The lessons:
• Know the lines between narrative
storytelling and hoax
• Real life is full of great stories to be
told, so why make them up?
• Give your audience an earnest reason
to connect and see the value of your
brand

37. Also, avoid pretending to be a bear,
as Philips learned in Singapore when
it created footage of a supposed bear
in a large residential area.

39. “In retrospect, perhaps we
should have made the bear
do something more obvious
like a dance at the bus-stop
to ensure that consumers
knew that this was a
humorous stunt.”
— Philips corporate
statement

40. #EAFail

41. To promote the release of Dante’s Inferno, EA’s
marketing team launched a nine-month series
of guerrilla efforts tied to the circles of Hell.

42. Then things hit a snag. The game’s “Lust”
promotion offered prizes for committing “an
act of lust” on a Comic-Con “booth babe.”

44. “ We wanted to be more Eyes Wide Shut than
Van Wilder, and with 'Sin to Win' we were a
”
little too Van Wilder.
— Phil Marineau,
Senior Product Manager, EA

45. “'Sin to Win' was a great
eye-opener for us, and
we're glad it happened
early on, so we could
learn from it."

46. The lessons:
• It never hurts to temper controversy
with common sense
• But don’t let criticism grind your
marketing to a halt. Learn, evolve.
• You can still be smart without being
“safe.” Avoid the urge to dial back too
far.

47. #FocusFail (?)

48. In March, Ford launched a series of YouTube
videos about Doug, the new “spokespuppet” for
the 2012 Focus.

49. Voiced by Paul F. Tompkins and directed by Paul
Feig, the spots earned buzz — and skepticism.

50. By May, the newest videos were getting little more
than a few hundred views.

52. So is it a fail?

53. “ The bottom line is, we've only just
started, and we haven't committed
any paid media to it yet.
If you look at the number of fans
he's garnered on FB, the
interactions he has with people
there and on Twitter, and the
people who say that they wouldn't
have paid attention to the Focus if
Scott Monty
it weren't for Doug, then you've got
Social Media Chief,
”
a better picture.
Ford Motor Co.

56. “ It was definitely a risk for the
company to go down this road,
and there are still divided
opinions on Doug.
He's not your typical
spokesperson. But he's fun
and different, which is what
the all-new Focus is, so it's a
”
good match.
— Scott Monty

57. The lessons:
• If you’re going to create strong
content, have a strong promotion plan
• Don’t abandon a good idea just
because it hasn’t reached its potential
• It’s not always about big numbers.
Quality of engagement can be
important (50 Focuses sold = $1M)

58. In Summary

59. • It’s only a fail if you refuse to learn
from it

60. • It’s only a fail if you refuse to learn
from it
• The real failures happen every day.
They’re the campaigns you never hear
about, and we never talk about.

61. • It’s only a fail if you refuse to learn
from it
• The real failures happen every day.
They’re the campaigns you never hear
about, and we never talk about.
• “I can accept failure, but I can’t
accept not trying.” – Michael Jordan

63. Thanks for your time.
David Griner
Dave Peck
TheSocialPath.com
TheDavePeck.com
@Griner
@DavePeck