How to avoid hijacked hashtags

Many marketing agencies think that by simply dreaming up a hashtag they’ll have a shortcut to the public, but people are beautiful and unpredictable, they don’t always do what you expect. Social media changes the balance of power. Instead of organisations dictating to their followers how they want to be perceived, people can directly influence how the company is seen to others.

At the whim of the public, a hashtag can be easily turned into something completely different from what it was originally, which is something the following six people found out when their Twitter campaign got them into the spotlight for the wrong reasons.

#AskThicke

#AskThicke It might seem like some of the questions on this hashtag are cruel and abusive but Robin, I know you want it

— Kitty (@KittyKnits) July 1, 2014

Ever notice how before a big album release you’ll see the creator of that album absolutely everywhere? On TV, in magazines, on radio, across the internet and even on buses, you won’t be able to escape. With so many interviews and previews, it can be quite difficult for a magazine or broadcaster to make theirs stand out. So when popular musician Robin Thicke was about to release his latest album, VH1 thought they knew just the way to make their interview with him stand out. Instead of doing a conventional interview they would open it up to the fans, and do a live Twitter Q&A with the hashtag #AskThicke.

Questions about the upcoming album weren’t what the fans wanted to ask though, and VH1 and Thicke were instead inundated with comments about the artist’s hit song, Blurred Lines, which was widely criticised for its misogynist lyrics and reinforcement of rape culture. In addition, many criticised the singer for the extraordinary attempts he has made to reconcile with his estranged wife Paula Patton.

What we can learn – People aren’t quick to forget.

Though Blurred Lines had been released over a year prior to the Q&A session, people still felt passionately about the issues it raised. The hashtag not only allowed a designated public forum for people to discuss these problems, it also allowed people a direct line to the person who caused them.  While this was great news for those who wished to air their grievances with Robin Thicke, it left the singer and VH1 floundering while they attempted to promote their album.

#McDStories

I used to like McDonalds. I stopped eating McDonalds years ago because every time I ate it I felt like I was dying inside. #McDStories

— Jeff Stokes (@DigitalStokes) January 23, 2012

Big companies use all different forms of advertising, and there are few bigger than McDonald’s. So it comes as no surprise that the fast-food giant has dabbled with advertising on Twitter, with varying results. In January 2012, McDonald’s decided to advertise using two hashtags. The first, #MeetTheFarmers, aimed to promote the ingredients used in creating McDonald’s food and was met with reasonable success. The second, #McDStories, tried to get people to share some positive experiences that people had with the restaurant, and met with… less success.

People quickly began sharing less than savoury experiences they had while in the care of the golden arches. While these ranged from the mundane, to the horrifying, to the hilarious; they were rarely positive.

What we can learn – Choosing the right hashtag is key

The difference between the responses that each of McDonald’s tactics received shows the power of words. With one they were largely praised, with another destroyed. So what makes the two different? Well, the first shifted the focus away from the company as a whole, it focused on the people who made what they do possible. It was a more concentrated effort on a smaller part of the fast-food chain, which allowed people to abstract itself from the company as a whole. #McDStories on the other hand, put the brand right up front. It was a vaguer hashtag that was clearly designed to promote discussion. Unfortunately for McDonalds, that discussion was less favourable than they would have liked.