December 13, 2013
It was a week for looking back on the best and worst of 2013, buzzing about global leaders and celebrating some crazy holiday PR program gambles. If you need a refresher, take a look below at some of the stories I found most interesting this week.
- Tis the Season – For great PR stunts. We love how WestJet, a Canadian airline, showed their customers they really care by making a plane full of Christmas wishes come true. This social stunt has all of the great elements: hidden video cameras, a head honcho who meets the people, a charity tie and the true and moving emotional reaction of more than a hundred customers who are now brand ambassadors for life. You can see the video gone viral here, but for the social marketers take, read this WestJet blog article.
- Blogger Humbug – A Philadelphia blogger who solicited local restaurants to feed her family for free on Christmas Eve is not getting the same great reception as WestJet, leading social media critics to ponder if the move is going to boost her clicks or force her to cook for Christmas. Check out one experts take on the attempt here.
- Worst Corporate Tweets of 2013 – Speaking of what not to do, we loved this ABC news list of the worst corporate tweets in 2013. From hashtag gambles gone bad and innocent mistakes to truly outrageous PR platforms, this list reminds us to tread smartly in the Twitterverse.
- Ohhh Snap – Have you met SnapChat? This rampantly growing social media platform is based on the idea that sometimes, you don’t want the things you share with friends to live forever. The brand is incredibly popular with tweens and teens and its recent “SnapChat Stories” feature has made it increasingly interesting to brands as well. Check out how some marketers have leveraged SnapChat in 2013 and let the 2014 planning wheels begin to turn!
- World Tweets About Leaders – This week the world was atwitter about two major global leaders. Pope Francis made headlines – literally – as the 2013 Time Magazine Person of the Year, sending supporters and critics to Twitter en mass to critique the decision. Amidst this debate, tweeters also pondered President Obama’s “selfie” moment, captured during the funeral for Nelson Mandela, leading the photographer Roberto Schmidt to share the “story behind the selfie” which spread like wildfire across our Twitterfeed.
