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. 

The Beatles of Our Generation

The music industry has changed dramatically due to the presence of social media. Social media has removed many barriers of communication from the musicians to the fans. Now, musicians can share their songs via social media to reach millions, or even billions, of fans. Recently, Donald Glover, also known as Childish Gambino, gave an acceptance speech at the Golden Globes. In his speech, Glover gave a shout-out to the rap group Migos for "making Bad and Boujee", claiming that "it was the best song ever". Moreover, Gambino called the group the Beatles of the current generation, sparking interests worldwide online. Now, there is even a petition to replace Lady Gaga with Migos during the halftime of Super Bowl 51!

Migos' song, Bad and Boujee, needed no help in boosting awareness or recognition. Before the speech, Bad and Boujee held the billboard's number one song spot for weeks, via views on Youtube, Spotify, and iTunes. The speech alone created an additonal increase of 243% Spotty streams. The video of Glover's acceptance speech went viral on social media and allowed the song's ratings to increase even further. Social media has revolutionized and serve as a catalyst for the music industry. With the internet, artists have more control over their music. Current, popular artists can reach a broader audience, whereas upcoming and aspiring artists can become more known by sharing their music via social media. 

                            

Super Bowl 51

On February 5, 2017, Super Bowl 51 will be played in Houston Texas, featuring the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons. In 2016, more than 111.9 million viewers watched the Super Bowl in the United States. The Super Bowl consistently stands as one of the most watched sporting events in the world. Whether you truly like watching football or not, most viewers enjoy watching the Super Bowl every year for one reason.

Why? 

The commercial advertisements.

According to USA Today, in 2016, the television network, CBS, charged $5 million per advertisement, which is $166,666 per second, for just 30 seconds! Brands use a significant portion of their marketing budgets to display advertisements during the Super Bowl, because it is an unusual time where viewers are looking forward to the commercials, as opposed to being cynical about advertisements. With the increasing importance of social media, brands use platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and even Snapchat to strengthen, or weaken, their campaigns digitally. It is imperative that brands engage with the audience via social media to have a successful campaign during the Super Bowl.

Always keep in mind that your campaign should be shared effectively through social media. Last Super Bowl, T-Mobile's advertisement, featuring Drake dancing to Hotline Bling, generated about 80,000 shares on social media using the hashtag #YouGotCarriered, before the game even began!

For 2017, social media today offers a "gameplan" to make the most out of the Super Bowl 51. First, brands should post their advertisements before the game begins to get more viewers. Second, brand should engage more online during the first and second quarters of the game, when viewers are searching for the advertisements more on the internet. Finally, use other forms of media and applications to boost awareness to your ads, for example, banner ads on Facebook.

Athletes In The Public Eye

     Professional athletes live in the public eye, constantly criticized for every move they make. Due to the popularity and dominant presence of social media, athletes use social platforms to create their "personal brand" online (off the court, field, etc), contributing to their overall reputation.

     In the National Football League, the Pittsburgh Steelers' wide receiver Antonio Brown uses social media to display his flamboyant personality online, that is also displayed on the field through his style of play and touchdown celebrations. Specifically, in the 2015 season, Antonio Brown celebrated a 71-yard punt return by jumping on the goal post. Not only did the celebration go viral in 2015, but also is still shared on social media by both fans and Antonio Brown himself (Instagram post shown in picture).

     Antonio Brown continues to push boundaries on social media, and some of his actions can be seen as controversial. On January 15, 2017, after the Steelers beat the Kansas City Chiefs, Brown went live on Facebook sharing the team locker room talk. The video includes Mike Tomlin motivating the team for the upcoming playoff game against the New England Patriots. However, the video included quotes from Tomlin about the Patriots, that ideally want to be kept behind closed doors. Despite the decision by Brown to share the video online, the Steelers players still support him stating "AB is AB. He can do what he wants to do... We love AB" (sportingnews.com). Even though the video got taken down quickly, thousands of viewers were able to see the content due to the power of social media. This content reflects upon the reputation of not only Antonio Brown, but also his teammates and coach, Mike Tomlin. Therefore, social media is seen as a power tool in influencing people's opinions. Overall, professional athletes, need to use social media to market themselves how they want to be seen in the public eye. Even though Antonio Brown has made controversial decisions both online and offline, he continues to stay true to himself and market his own "personal brand" and spontaneous personality. He engages with the public on social media, and markets himself as an entertainer as both a player and an individual.