United Airlines Fail on Social

Just a couple weeks after the leggings attire controversy, United Airlines once again was caught in a scandal, that quickly escalated on social media. On April 9, a man was violently removed from a United Airlines' flight, shown virally on Facebook and Twitter. To make matters worse, United Airlines failed with their social media and public relations management, truly not grasping the severity of the situation. United responded to the incident on Twitter entirely too casual, causing an uproar of people online.



So, what should United have done? United was not transparent to the public, "[hiding] behind its own policies". First, the word policy has a negative connotation, and United's "policy" is too old-fashioned, which in turn angered customers even further. Also, United failed to offer an apology or show any empathy during this controversy. United failed to take responsibility for its actions, and highly underestimated the magnitude of this viral video. United should have communicated online with customers as if they were friends, as opposed to using industry jargon. In this situation, customers want to feel safe, and confident in brands that they follow. Due to United's lack of sympathy and responsibility, customers lost their respect for the brand. Brands should always remember the importance of social media today, and how one bad experience offline, can create a national if not global uproar if shared online. Although United did do well by responding, the airline failed to create a personal response, which negatively impacted the view of their brand.

A Cavs Upset on Social Media

On Sunday, April 9th, the Atlanta Hawks came back from a 26 point deficit in the fourth-quarter to win the game in overtime against the Cleveland Cavaliers. This is the largest comeback in history since 1955, with the Hawks scoring 44 points to Cleveland's 18 points. With this win, the Atlanta Hawks also secured a playoff spot for the NBA 2017 playoffs. With the undeniable presence of social media, an event like this created an uproar on social media, from both the players, organizations, and fans in general. Especially on Twitter, people have not held back and have used the best memes and gifs to mess with the Cleveland Cavaliers, due to their second terrible loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

 

In the world of sports, it is important to insert yourselves at the right time. When a big event occurs, like this upset or when a team wins the Super Bowl, the activity on social media peaks. Therefore, marketers should capitalize on this opportunity. The Hawks PR capitalized on this upset by using it as a way to thank the fans of Atlanta, by having the players post about the big win. Also, the Falcons and Dream used it to congratulate the Hawks on clinching a playoff spot. These organizations use an event like this to insert themselves in the right conversations, at the right time. If it makes sense, brands can do the same and will be able to benefit more than ever before.

Duke's Loss Escalates on Twitter

     Basketball fan or not, millions of people in the world participate in college basketball by completing their March Madness brackets. As many of you know, these games call for unexpected upsets and a whirlwind of emotions. On Sunday, number two seed Duke shockingly fell to SEC number seven seed South Carolina. In college basketball, Duke is the team that every person loves to hate, similar to the New England Patriots of the National Football League. Despite this hatred, 7 million people had Duke winning all of March Madness. With that being said, fans everywhere were saying goodbye to their brackets and escalating the Duke loss on Twitter.

                

     The real-time power of Twitter has allowed news to be shared more quickly and to people worldwide.  Twitter, and other social media platforms, have changed the world of sports. Even for people who do not enjoy sports, Twitter memes or gifs are created and launched on the platform, and can't be ignored. In the world of sports, Duke memes are created all the time because the love to hate relationship with team, due to their "privileged" attitude. However, Twitter even took it a step further and made general jokes about the pictures of the players, appealing and engaging to audiences who do not even watch sports. Moreover, this activity on Twitter then will be shared to millions and continue to be used as it now has become a trendy meme or gif. Twitter has almost become a place of news for sports, while also providing humor to keep up with pop culture and other users in general. 

Promoted Video on Pinterest

     Just like Facebook and Snapchat, Pinterest has adapted the use of video in order to attract consumers to the website. Even though Pinterest has not launched video as quickly, the trend is growing and becoming more attractive for marketers on Pinterest. And, Pinterest might even be more relevant for video content than other social media platforms, with 75% of people on Pinterest saying that they would rather watch a video about a topic, compared to 55% of people who choose video on other sites.
     In order to strengthen their social media strategy, Pinterest conducted a survey to determine the most important elements to enhance the presence on the platform. First, the two most efficient types of video for Pinterest are "how-to" videos (i.e. recipes) and "storytelling" videos. Second, brands should focus on creating quality content for their videos as opposed to creating lengthy videos, quality over quantity. Third, the content should lead to action (pinned posts), not necessarily just focus on getting views. The content should relate to the subsequent pins in order to drive action. Lastly, Pinterest should continue to connect with the pinners throughout their entire journey on the site in order to increase the likelihood of not only viewing the content, but also increase the likelihood that the content resonates with pinners enough that they pin the posts or visit the brand's website. If Pinterest fits with your brand, marketers should use the platform to increase engagement through video content, just like other social media platforms. Promoted video on Pinterest is a valuable way to connect with consumers and directly increase brand awareness.

March Madness Conversation on Social Media

      Social media is a powerful tool to engage with consumers online. Specifically, marketers should take advantage of social media during peak times, such as sporting events or ceremonies. Social platforms such as Facebook and Instagram have the ability to provide valuable statistics to marketers so brands can engage more effectively with consumers online. Facebook provided information and advice during the the Oscars, the Super Bowl, and Valentine's Day. In 2016, conversations grew by 40% during March Madness. Therefore, if you are intending to reach sports fans, March Madness is  key opportunity on Facebook and even Instagram. According to statistics, more than 650 million people like a sports-related Facebook page, while about 165 million follow an Instagram account that displays sports information and posts. March Madness spurs online and mobile conversations. As brands plan for the 2017 year, they should consider the following:

   
   

   

     Worldwide, basketball is ranked as the second sport talked about on Facebook and Instagram. During the month of March, sports-related brands need to take advantage of these platforms in order to place themselves in the minds of their target audience. As an avid basketball fan, I am watching the game at any opportunity possible, whether that be in person, online, through the TV, or on social media. Brands can position themselves online for consumers to see during this peak period, to boost their potential and influence on sports fans everywhere, both men and women. Even outside of sports fans or men fans, women are also an easy target for marketers. Many engaged online throughout the tournament. Brands have an opportunity to engage with consumers when social media is magnified, sporting events, ceremonies, and award shows in order to take themselves to another level.

The Use of Emojis in Social Media

     It's important that brands keep up with trends in social media in order to stay relevant to consumers. Specifically, the use of emojis is a way for brands to communicate like consumers via social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and even Facebook. More importantly, even if it might feel uncomfortable, brands must adapt to using this form of communication or they could lag behind competitors and the modern times.
     According to Social Media Today, 92% of people use emojis, and more than 1/3 of people use emojis multiple times a day. Marketing campaigns involving emojis have expanded by 777% year after year. On Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, data has shown that engagement increases with the use of emojis. In 2015, Oxford Dictionaries deemed an emoji their "Word of the Year", allowing language to reach a whole new level for marketers.
     To use emojis more effectively, guidelines are offered to aid marketers. I found some guidelines to be extremely helpful, and could make or break marketing campaigns put out by brands on social media. First, marketers need to understand what emojis mean to the public. A survey showed the perceptions of the emoji, the peach, and how the use can be misinterpreted among consumers.

 

     Second, emojis should be used to engage with consumers in real-time. Twitter and Snapchat are the primary social media platforms where brands can interact with consumers at the moment. Therefore, they should capitalize on these conversations, with using emojis to remain trendy and with-the-times. Not matter the type of company, emojis humanize the brand. Shown below is a tweet from Bud Light for Fourth of July that is simple, but more creative than a tweet with words. 

     Last, but certainly not least, brands should use emojis to connect them with their brand. Through the use and repetition, brands have the opportunity to change the meaning of some emojis. For example, the World Wide Fund for Nature is an organization that protects the environment and endangered species in the world. They launched a campaign around emojis on social media that for every character used, 0.10 euros would be donated. There were 17 endangered species who had emojis, so they made these emojis have a meaning and used them to make the public aware of their cause. 

The Curse Continues

Atlanta, Georgia is debatably one of the most "cursed" sports cities in the United States. From the Braves to the Falcons to the Hawks, every team has made spectacular runs, and yet failed miserably when it matters the most to fans. It is safe to say that Atlanta sports are going through a dry spell, and Super Bowl 51 might as well add another disappointment to the list. As you may or may not know, the Atlanta Falcons dominated the New England Patriots for the whole first half of the game. However, the fate turned quickly against the Falcons, as it has many times for the sports teams in the Atlanta area. The Atlanta Falcons blew a third-quarter lead of 28-3 to the Patriots, and ended up losing in overtime, going down as one of the most epic failures for Atlanta sports teams.

In the curse of Atlanta sports teams, history repeats itself. Fans used social media to talk about the Atlanta Falcons Super Bowl 51 failure. For the vast majority of the game, the Atlanta Falcons had over a 95% of winning the game. With platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Snapchat, fans were able to show their negative reactions online for the world to see. 

  

As if the Falcons loss wasn't enough, the negative combat on social media made the Super Bowl 51 arguably the most epic failure of all time for Atlanta. As many fans discussed on social media, the this Falcons loss is worse than the Warriors blowing a 3-1 lead in the NBA finals. With the presence of social media, this loss will not only haunt the Atlanta Falcons fans, but also be used as memes for future sports discussion until the next sports failure occurs.