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Very Serious Business

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Internet Historian


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Is Clickbait?

Our analysis suggests that the Video is not clickbait. It effectively highlights the contrast between serious business and unprofessional behavior through various examples.

1-Sentence-Summary

"Very Serious Business" explores the pitfalls and backfires of corporate social media campaigns through a series of humorous and disastrous examples, highlighting how brands struggle to engage online without becoming targets of ridicule or backlash.

Favorite Quote from the Author

Pizza is serious business

💨 tl;dr

Brands often mess up on social media and marketing campaigns by not moderating content, misjudging their audience, and failing to prepare for backlash. Examples include McDonald's failed campaigns and DiGiorno's insensitive tweets. Memes like 'silenced, brand' act as a check on brands trying too hard to be trendy.

💡 Key Ideas

  • Conferences and Social Media Backfire

    • Agile 2013 conference's Twitter feed misuse led to inappropriate content and display shutdowns.
    • McDonald's "McDStories" campaign backfired with negative user stories, leading to its quick removal.
  • Marketing Campaign Failures

    • McDonald's custom burger website hijacked with offensive submissions, resulting in shutdown.
    • SOS condoms app faced government shutdown and failed to launch after online poll.
  • Social Media and Brand Engagement

    • Social media's evolving role in marketing, with brands like Denny's adopting a casual approach.
    • DiGiorno faced backlash for insensitive tweets during a domestic violence awareness campaign.
  • Internet Memes and Brand Interaction

    • Overuse of brands trying to be relatable is annoying.
    • The "silenced, brand" meme effectively shuts down lesser brands, acting as social media quality control.

🎓 Lessons Learnt

  • Unmoderated content is risky: Allowing unfiltered messages leads to abuse and inappropriate content.
  • Proactive moderation is crucial: Effective moderation requires more than just user reports; it needs a robust system to prevent escalation.
  • Don't engage with trolls: Publicly responding to disruptive elements often makes things worse.
  • Backup plans are essential: Always have alternative strategies to manage unforeseen issues.
  • Expect backlash in public campaigns: Assuming only positive feedback can backfire; be prepared for negative responses.
  • Screen public input carefully: User-generated content can be inappropriate; vet submissions thoroughly.
  • React quickly to PR disasters: Prompt action in crisis management can minimize damage.
  • Understand your audience: Misjudging audience behavior can lead to unexpected backlash.
  • Innovative marketing can face cultural pushback: Disruptive ideas may not be well-received in all markets.
  • Open voting can backfire: Public polls can result in impractical or unexpected outcomes.
  • Consider context in social media: Insensitive posts can damage brand reputation.
  • Crowdsourcing serious decisions is risky: Trusting the internet for important decisions can lead to undesirable outcomes.
  • Adapting to platform culture is crucial: Engaging with social media's tone can enhance brand connection.
  • Overusing relatability can be annoying: Trying too hard to be relatable can alienate your audience.
  • Memes can serve as quality control: The 'silenced brand' meme shuts down brands trying too hard to be trendy.

🌚 Conclusion

Unmoderated content and poor crisis management can lead to PR disasters. Brands need proactive moderation, quick reactions to backlash, and a deep understanding of their audience to avoid these pitfalls. Overusing relatability and crowdsourcing decisions can backfire, so it's crucial to adapt to platform culture without overdoing it.

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In-Depth

Worried about missing something? This section includes all the Key Ideas and Lessons Learnt from the Video. We've ensured nothing is skipped or missed.

All Key Ideas

Agile 2013 Conference Issues

  • This video is sponsored by Raid Legends.
  • Agile 2013 was a professional conference held in Nashville, Tennessee.
  • Interactive display boards connected to an automatic Twitter feed were used at the conference.
  • A message posted to a message board led to misuse of the hashtag agile 2013.
  • The hashtag was flooded with inappropriate content.
  • Agile organizers' attempts to stop the abuse were slow and ineffective.
  • The hashtag was eventually disabled, but another hashtag was also targeted.
  • Content was uploaded directly to the displays from the host's website.
  • The displays were ultimately shut down due to the abuse.

McDonald's Social Media Campaigns

  • McDonald's launched the "Meet the Farmers" Twitter campaign to improve brand perception.
  • The campaign transitioned to "McDStories," asking the public to share their experiences at McDonald's.
  • "McDStories" was quickly hijacked by users sharing negative and often fabricated stories.
  • McDonald's had to pull down the "McDStories" campaign within two hours due to the negative backlash.
  • In 2016, McDonald's created a website for users to design custom burgers, which was also hijacked with inappropriate and absurd submissions.
  • The custom burger website led to the creation of offensive sandwich names and was eventually shut down.

Notable Marketing Events of the Early 2010s

  • Jurek's launched the SOS condoms app in early 2013, offering discreet condom delivery within an hour.
  • The service initially rolled out in Dubai but was shut down by the government for promoting promiscuity.
  • An online poll decided the next launch location, with the internet humorously choosing Batman, Turkey.
  • Despite the announcement, SOS condoms never launched in Batman or anywhere else and eventually faded away.
  • DiGiorno pizza faced backlash for an insensitive tweet using the hashtag #WhyIStayed, related to domestic violence awareness.
  • Social media's role in marketing evolved significantly during the early 2010s, with brands like Denny's leading a more casual, engaging approach.

Observations on Brand Memes

  • The overuse of brands trying to be relatable is becoming annoying
  • The "silenced, brand" meme featuring a spider crab with laser eyes became a powerful tool against brands
  • The meme acts as quality control on Twitter, shutting down lesser brands
  • Some brands occasionally manage to break through the meme's influence
  • The meme represents an apex predator in the social media landscape

All Lessons Learnt

Key Points on Online Moderation

  • Unmoderated social media feeds can be risky - Allowing unfiltered messages to display publicly can lead to abuse and inappropriate content.
  • Underestimating trolls is a mistake - Addressing disruptive online behavior requires more than just reporting; proactive measures and moderation are essential.
  • Effective moderation is crucial in public forums - Relying solely on user reports is insufficient; a robust moderation system can prevent escalation.
  • Publicly responding to trolls can backfire - Engaging with disruptive elements often amplifies the problem instead of resolving it.
  • Backup plans are essential - Always have alternative strategies and backup systems to manage unforeseen issues in events or platforms.

Lessons from McDonald's Marketing Campaigns

  • Don't assume only positive feedback: McDonald's thought their #McDStories campaign would highlight good experiences, but it backfired with negative and made-up horror stories.
  • Be cautious with public input: Allowing the public to create custom burgers led to inappropriate and offensive submissions, showing the risk of user-generated content.
  • React quickly to PR disasters: McDonald's pulled down their failing campaigns quickly to minimize damage, indicating the importance of prompt action in crisis management.
  • Understand your audience: Misjudging how the public will interact with a campaign can lead to unexpected backlash, emphasizing the need to better understand audience behavior.

Marketing Lessons

  • Innovative marketing can face cultural pushback: The SOS condoms app launch in Dubai was shut down for promoting promiscuity, showing that not all markets are receptive to disruptive ideas.
  • Public polls can backfire: Allowing the public to decide the next launch location led to the unexpected and impractical choice of Batman in Turkey, demonstrating the risks of open voting.
  • Insensitive marketing can damage brand reputation: DiGiorno's insensitive tweet during National Domestic Violence Awareness Day caused significant backlash, highlighting the importance of context in social media marketing.
  • Trusting the internet for important decisions is risky: The couple who let the internet name their baby ended up with inappropriate suggestions, showing that crowdsourcing serious decisions can lead to undesirable outcomes.
  • Understanding social media culture is crucial: Early 2010s brands struggled with social media until Denny's successfully engaged with a more relaxed and relatable tone, proving that adapting to platform culture can enhance brand connection.

Lessons Learnt

  • Overusing relatability can be annoying. Context: Brands that try too hard to be relatable often end up annoying their audience rather than engaging them.
  • Memes can serve as quality control. Context: The 'silenced brand' meme became a tool to shut down brands that were trying too hard to be trendy or relatable on social media.

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