What Did Social Media Think of the Oscars?

As the 87th Oscars come to a close, people are talking, but not necessarily about the winners and losers. Social media buzzed about speeches, musical acts, and “penndejos.”

Powerful Speeches 

Several acceptance speeches reverberated across social media platforms during the 87th Oscars. The most notable included Patricia Arquette, John Legend, and Graham Moore.

Arquette called for wage equality for women and Legend condemned the increasing number of black Americans in the prison system. Moore revealed an attempted suicide at age 16, and encouraged those who felt weird or different, to “stay weird, stay different.”

Social Media Loves Melodies 

The Oscars are Hollywood’s big celebration of film, but when it comes to social media, almost everyone was talking about music. Lady Gaga dominated social media with her “Sound of Music” medley as Facebook and Twitter both experienced their highest activity of the night.

John Legend also met social media success during his performance of his Oscar winning song, “Glory.” Legend was the third most mentioned person on social media, behind Gaga and Patricia Arquette.

Sean Penn Surprises No One

Sean Penn made a tasteless joke in what should’ve been a monumental moment for Mexicans everywhere. “Who gave this son of a bitch his green card?” Penn said before announcing Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu’s “Birdman” as best picture.

Twitter exploded as soon as Penn left the stage. The joke went viral, attached to cleverly named “#Penndejo” hashtag. Iñarritu and Penn have worked together in the past, and insist the joke is a jab between friends. The “joke” was inappropriate for the setting, especially when not everyone is “in on it.”

1-800-Flowers: Disappointment on Demand

Social media has given companies the opportunity to create a two-way street for conversation with their customers. Reaching your target audience has never been easier, but dealing with customer complaints now takes place in a public forum.

Flower Failure

As Valentine’s Day 2015 comes to a close, it’s become an annual tradition to see 1-800-Flowers.com deal with customer service fallout. 1-800-Flowers.com had a terrible year on social media in 2014. Pictures of dead flowers or comments about undelivered products circulated the internet long after V-Day.

It looks like 1-800-Flowers.com didn’t learn their lesson from last year, as an almost identical slew of problems followed them this year. Unsatisfied customers flocked to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to share their opinions on the flower delivery service. More dead flowers, undelivered flowers, and automated customer service robots. At this point, it’s hard to see why the customers are still coming.

It’s No Secret on Social Media

Photos and comments like these could have dire consequences for the brand. One year is an accident, two years is a trend. Personally, I see these complaints and tell myself to never order from 1-800-Flowers.com.

At this point, the brand needs to step back and apologize for their poor service. This is an opportunity to fix their mistakes and learn for next year. Whether this is a quality control issue or a delivery issue, this can’t happen again next year. In a world where similar services are popping up everyday, they don’t have room for mistakes of this caliber.

The Killer Creativity of ‘Game of Thrones’

This week, HBO released the latest trailer for everyone’s favorite nerdfest. Game of Thrones is back for season 5 this April. Since its 2011 debut, Game of Thrones has become a cultural icon. This success could not have been possible without their brilliant marketing team.

To celebrate the release of the season 5 trailer, let’s take a look at some of the Game of Thrones team’s best marketing tactics.

Dragon Skull Found on the Jurassic Coast

One of Game of Thrones’ most memorable tactics went viral back in 2013. Taylor Herring PR placed a giant dragon skull on Dorset’s “Jurassic Coast,” which is famous for its dinosaur fossils. The stunt resulted a ton of realistic and enchanting photos while generating hype for the upcoming season.

Game of Thrones on the Big Screen

This week, HBO screened the final two episodes of season 4 in over 200 IMAX theaters across the country. The screenings were one night only, and offered fans an exclusive first look at the aforementioned season 5 trailer. HBO made $1.5 million in one night, which means we can definitely expect a repeat of the stunt in the future.

#RoastJoffery: The First Social Comedy Roast

Game of Thrones has a multitude of hateable faces, but Joffery trumps them all. To generate conversation between seasons, HBO and 360i used the hashtag #RoastJoffery to invite fans, celebrities, and even brands to mock the little brat. The campaign ended with over a million engagements on over 60,000 original posts from users. There were over 800,000,000 earned media impressions over the course of two days.

“Beautiful Death” – Gruesome Meets Gorgeous 

Another brilliant move by HBO and 360i is the “Beautiful Death” series. Artist Robert Ball has created a work of art commemorating iconic deaths in each episode. The illustrated posters were released on a daily basis leading up to the season 4 premiere. The trend continued as new posters appeared for each episode of season 4. The posters were incredibly popular and are available for purchase on the “Beautiful Death” website.

With season 5 only a few months away, there’s no doubt we’ll see more creative and effective tactics from the Game of Thrones team. Personally, I have my fingers crossed for more David Bowie covers.

What do you think of these kind of marketing tactics? Worth it or a waste of time? Share your thoughts below.

‘Ghostbusters’ and Hollywood’s Haunting Gender Divide

The ‘Ghostbusters’ sequel floated around in production purgatory for years. With yesterday’s announcement, the franchise was given new life. Next year, we’ll see a new ‘Ghostbusters’ film–with an all-female cast.

Personally, I think this is pretty cool. As someone who has consistently dreaded remakes and sequels alike, I think this is a fresh idea and exactly what Sony Pictures and the franchise need. As always, not everyone agrees.

A handful of Twitter critics shared their unsurprisingly abrasive opinions, claiming ruined childhoods and “feminist agendas.”

This reaction is pretty common when anything from the pop culture man-cave gets a feminine touch. For example, the reaction to female Thor. They’re free to have their opinion, but maybe it’s not all about them. If done well, this film is going to mean a lot to a lot of people.

Click to see the rest of the New York Film Academy’s infographic about Hollywood’s gender inequality.

Women in Hollywood often get a raw deal. Hell, look at how long it’s going to be till we finally see a female-led Marvel movie. The new ‘Ghostbusters’ is a step in the right direction. If this film performs well, it could mean more female-centered films in the future–and not the kind that revolve around dating the cutest vampire of the month.

What do you think about the all-female reboot? Maybe other franchises should follow suit.

Lady Jaws anyone? Share your thoughts below.

Paid to Pin: Rise of the Pinfluencer

Pinterest is a great way to discover new recipes, plan a wedding, and procrastinate. For some companies, it’s also a great way to procure cheap and effective advertising.

Pin to Win

Companies are reaching out to “Pinfluencers” in order to reach their audience without paying for official promoted pins. “Pinfluencers” pin sponsored content on their boards under the guise of their own content.

One of the main “Pinfluencer” networks is HelloSociety. HelloSociety employs over 300 influencers that span a multitude of categories and demographics. HelloSociety even features a “look book” of their pinners’ interests and specialties.

Some companies are finding this approach more effective than the paid ads. “We often see twice the lift in engagement on a product when we use an influencer on Pinterest,” Sean Ryan, director of social and mobile marketing for J. C. Penney said.

Transparency is Key

This kind of promotion is interesting, but comes with strings attached. The “Pinfluencer” paid content blends in so flawlessly with the user’s actual content, it’s hard to see where the ads begin and end.

I’m fine with advertising on social media, but I’d like a company to be upfront about it. If someone I admire on Pinterest posts a cool product from Target, how do I know they’ve even used the product?

Networks like Influenster require full disclosure that you received a product from the company to review. If this type of promotion continues on Pinterest, I hope to see the same type of transparency.

What do you think about this type of promotion? Share your thoughts below.

@Grandma is now following you!

One cool grandma. Unfortunately, not my cool grandma.

My grandma is on Facebook. She likes my weird statuses and questions my sister’s selfies. Recent studies show that I’m not alone. Nearly one-third of all seniors are now on Facebook and that number is growing.

Facebook Grows Up

From 2013 to 2014, the number of seniors on Facebook grew by 11%. Social media has proven to be a great tool for seniors to connect with families and old friends. Not too different from the reasons we use it.

Personally, I think it’s awesome. Social media is a tool for everyone, not just the tech-savvy generations. There are other benefits as well. A recent study shows social media can improve the cognitive and mental health of seniors. Some seniors even reported improved physical well-being.

The Silver Lining

Adding your grandparents on Facebook also brings a secondary, less exciting, advantage. Before I added my grandma, I combed my Facebook page for anything I wouldn’t want her to see. It was a wakeup call to clean up my page and adjust my privacy settings for the future. With social media’s importance to employers, it’s vital to watch what you post.

While she might not understand why I still don’t smile in photos, my grandma is part of a booming branch of social media. That being said, I hope she doesn’t stumble onto my Twitter feed anytime soon.

What do you think of growing senior population on social media? Will it change how you use Facebook? Share your thoughts below.

Harassment in 140 Characters

Lena Dunham revealed during the Golden Globes that she would be making her departure from Twitter. At first, you might wonder why a successful young woman would abandon one of today’s most essential social media channels. One glance at Dunham’s mentions makes it abundantly clear.

“People like, threaten my life and tell me what a cow I am. So I decided I was gonna … I check it occasionally, but it isn’t the same co-dependence Twitter and I once shared. … There’s a lot of people I love on Twitter, but unfortunately you can’t read those without reading deranged Neocons telling you you should be buried under a pile of rocks.”

Disagreements and Death Threats

The creator of “Girls” experienced plenty of controversy in 2014 and has her fair share of critics. That being said, the things people write about her are abhorrent. No matter the topic, her tweets are often met with name calling, death threats, and rape threats.

Dunham isn’t the only celebrity to take a step back after abuse. Zelda Williams quit social media this summer after the death of her father, Robin Williams. She was bombarded with graphic images and insults from sockpuppet Twitter accounts and anonymous users.

People Before Brands

Amy Poehler on Celebrities Read Mean Tweets #5

Part of the reason it’s so easy for anonymous users to share their sleazy opinions is the lack of immediate consequences. Nobody was punished for the harassment of Zelda Williams, and nobody will be punished for Dunham’s ongoing threats. Personally, I believe this is only half the problem.

I believe there is a large disconnect between the perception of celebrities as brands instead of actual people. These users don’t see Dunham or Williams as human beings, but rather as vessels for a show they don’t like or an opinion they don’t agree with.

Disconnect or Block it Out?

So where is the breaking point? When is it time to turn off social media and cleanse yourself of 140 characters of vitriol? From a PR standpoint, I believe it depends on the situation; there are no clear cut rules. I think Williams made the right decision to take a break during such a tumultuous time in her life. As for Dunham, I’m not so sure. On one hand, I think it’s smart to remove something that makes your life miserable, but you shouldn’t be forced to leave social media because of bullies.

Overall, you should do what’s best for you. Social media should never cost you your happiness.

Do you think Dunham is making the right decision? Share your thoughts below.

Apple’s Social Media Debut

Before reading an article on PR Daily, I never noticed Apple’s lack of social media presence for hardware.  I was shocked to see an empty Twitter account and very unofficial looking Instagram.

Apple recently broke ground on their social media scene by creating a unique Tumblr page.  The site features unique minimalist videos that I’m surprised I haven’t seen on TV.  The page promotes their multi-colored and cost efficient iPhone 5c.

It might seem strange at first to enter social media through Tumblr, rather than Twitter or Facebook.  But as Digiday points out, the target audience for Tumblr is nearly identical to the target audience for the iPhone 5c.  This makes Tumblr a perfect fit for the iPhone 5c campaign.

It’s interesting to see a successful company not indulge itself into social media.  There’s no doubt the foray into Tumblr is a good move for the company.  But I do question if ignoring other social media outlets is a good idea.

As I said before, I did look for other social media.  Finding the weird empty sites does warp my perception of Apple.  Apple has a large and informative website, but many people check social media for news and information.

The Tumblr page is creative and refreshing, and I’d personally love to see what Apple could do with other social media platforms.

That being said, I never noticed their lack of social media before.  Apple also became the top global brand for 2013.  This surpasses the social media savvy Coca-Cola.  Maybe Apple is simply the exception to the rules of social media.

Valentino’s Embarrassing PR Move

Earlier this month, the Italian fashion brand Valentino released a photo to the press to promote a new handbag.  The photo featured  actress Amy Adams carrying the Valentino bag.  What the press release didn’t mention was the fact the photo came from a funeral.

Adams was attending the funeral of close friend and colleague, Philip Seymour-Hoffman.  When Valentino’s PR team received the photo, it was used to promote their new collection.  The team was unaware Adams was grieving in the photo.

The photo resulted in embarrassment for the company.  Adams’ rep has called the incident “truly appalling.”  The company has released an apology to Adams.

“We sincerely regret releasing a photo to the media … of Amy Adams with a Valentino Bag. We were not aware the photograph was taken while she was attending the wake of Philip Seymour Hoffman. It was an innocent mistake and we apologise to Ms Adams who was not aware, or a part of, our PR efforts.”

This is another incident that enforces poor stereotypes for PR practitioners.  It’s embarrassing in this age of technology that something like this could happen.

While it’s true journalism is fast paced, it’s more important to check your sources.  This incident could have been prevented if someone had checked where the photo came from.

The lesson to be learned here is that you should always double check the sources of any material you make public.  Once something is made public, there’s no going back, especially in the internet age.  Valentino may have apologized to Adams, but the act will still remain in the mind of the public.

Richard Sherman’s Media Magnitude

You’d be hard-pressed to find a football player with more media coverage during these past two weeks.  Richard Sherman, a cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks, has gained national notoriety for his controversial interview after his victory over the 49ers in the NFC Championship.

The public reaction has been surprising.  Some people are understanding to the fact Sherman was excited, having just won his ticket to the Super Bowl.  Other people defaulted to criticizing his race and character.

Getting in Your Face

To first understand Sherman’s reaction it’s important to look at his rivalry with Michael Crabtree and the 49ers.

To say tensions are high whenever the two teams play each other is an understatement.  Crabtree, the 49ers receiver, has had issues with Sherman long before the NFC Championship, including claims of trying to fight Sherman at a charity event.

The rivalry simply came to a head during the NFC Championship.  After the nail biting game, Sherman went over to shake Crabtree’s hand.  Sherman tried to reach out by saying, “Hell of a game, hell of a game!” Crabtree responded by shoving Sherman in the face.

It seems pretty understandable for someone to be upset when a longtime rival pushes you in the face.  Things get heated in football and it leads to trash talk.

Sherman just happened to have his moment broadcasted to the entire world.

History of Trash Talk

People have criticized Sherman’s interview for being ungracious or unprofessional.  The fact is, trash talk has been a part of sports for a long time.  Muhammad Ali engaged in trash talking his opponents and definitely doesn’t hold the same reputation.

Trash talk, in reality, is sometimes more entertaining than a robotic thank you speech.  It’s a reminder that these players are real people with real emotions.

Why Going Viral Changes Everything

It doesn’t make a lot of sense for Sherman to suffer for something athletes have been doing forever.

Thanks to the age of social media, the interview was posted everywhere.  Even my grandmother, who doesn’t know the first thing about football, saw the interview.

Unfortunately, social media gives people the power to say horrible things while remaining anonymous.  The anonymity and speed of content has blown this controversy even farther out of proportion.

At the end of the day, Sherman wasn’t violent, he didn’t curse on live television.  He did his job as a cornerback, and clinched one of the biggest games of his life.  He expressed his excitement and emotions honestly, and that’s really all we can ask for.