Twitter Fakes, Phonies and Funnies

By Sahana Jayaraman, PepperDigital

There are plenty of fake and phony Twitter handles out there today that rip on the brands they are associated with. And, ‘Brand jacking’ has become an increasing crisis management issue for PR folks, with faux handles like @BPGlobalPR propagating humor at the expense of a company’s misconduct. By the same token, used creatively, faux-handles can help create buzz and prove to be a creative PR tactic.

As bogus as they may be, they are certainly funny and have caught on as memes individuals spread across the Internet and via other mediums. Brands can leverage this humor to influence change or even shed light upon industry issues that may otherwise go ignored.

For example, I recently read an article in PR Tactics that talked about @FakeAPStylebook a satire on the AP Style Guide, a writing, usage and guide used by newspapers and the media and PR industry in the United States.

@FakeApStylebook is a handle co-founded by @Ken Lowry and is run by a group of journalists, librarians, graphic designers, writers and English professors giving readers “style tips for proper writing”, but with their own twist. A few
tweets for your sampling:

• There is no need to report on European news. It’s already past their bedtime there,
  and nobody else cares.
• It is wrong to just copy and paste a press release to create a staff report. Add
  some extra “according tos” in there
• When putting an allusion in your story, always be sure to warn your readers not to
  try it at  home.
• Is an American involved in the international event? If not, it’s hardly “news”,
  now is it?

The twitter handle has gained many followers and is being talked about in the industry widely for its humor. It was a simple concept and well executed, something anyone can really pull off for their own brand if they have a smart idea.

FakeAPStylebook suggests that there are a few ways to develop creative and humorous accounts by adhering
to a few guidelines:

• Keep it PG-13, though the occasional sharp veer into R-rated is always welcome for
  shock value
• Don’t get too political
• Don’t deliberately antagonize people

The article also suggests staying within the same tone with all your tweets, for @FakeApStylebook this remains dusty, authoritative, always using editorial “we”.

Need more inspiration? Last year PC World posted a list of 15 phwetters (phony Tweeters). The list includes the likes of @CNNBreaking; @StephenTColbert; and even fictional characters like @DarthVader and the cast of AMC’s Mad Men for example @Peggy_Olsen. Check them out.

Bragging Rights and ‘Your Brand’

Repost from Pepperdigital Blog – July 01, 2010

Ever wonder if you’re being boastful online and whether that is okay? With so many self-affirmations accessible in the form of comments, thumbs up or re-tweets, have our egos grown larger than the Internet itself?

To read complete post: http://pepperdigitalblog.com/?p=109

Straddling the Digital Divide

Repost from Pepperdigital Blog – May 2010

Why the shiny new Plasma at the coffee shop means more than just ads

I stopped by Tully’s coffee this morning to grab my morning “cup of Joe” when the 32” LCD display screen above my barista’s head caught my attention. I was entertained by New York Times headlines, horoscopes, weather updates and ads for local attractions, all brought to me by Ripple TV. The technology itself wasn’t novel or fascinating to me; it was exactly the opposite. I had seen these screens just about everywhere – from the hotel I stayed in last week to the hole in the wall pizza joint I went to for lunch yesterday. One actually projected real-time tweets and “shout outs” for birthdays, anniversaries and local happenings, creating a real social experience. It was such a simple concept – why on earth is it only becoming mainstream now?

For full article: http://pepperdigitalblog.com/?p=123

Introducing American Journey 2.0

Repost from Pepperdigital Blog – May 14, 2010

Ford packs social media for the ride

In an effort to attract Millennials, Ford plans to revolutionize the classic and cultural notion of the great American escape with social media tools such as Twitter, Foursquare and other cloud-based, in-car communication tools. 

Wired Magazine featured an article this month on Ford’s introduction of cloud-based, in-car apps, a new trend that is expected to spread wide across auto-show floors. Millennials, a demographic steadily increasing among the driving population, are far more immersed in social media than other groups. In fact, Microsoft (who created Sync in-car entertainment with Ford) issued a survey in 2008 that suggested 77 percent of respondents use social network sites, and 64 percent visit them daily – making the case for automotive apps. 

Just a week ago a tweeting Ford Fiesta left Michigan and is apparently bound toward the Silicon Valley DIY festival for its debut. According to Ford’s research engineer, T.J. Giuli, the idea is to have vehicles socially connected and sharing their emotions on a cross-country trip using Twitter and eventually other digital tools. By allowing in-car connectivity to the Internet, Ford is hoping to shape and explore new ways of using digital tools that expand social networks to the roadways.

To read full post: http://pepperdigitalblog.com/?p=127

Facebook, Not to be Taken for Face Value

Repost from Pepperdigital Blog – April 30, 2010

Being on the inside of the PR industry you hear a lot of buzz about new marketing initiatives – in the press and among brand managers. Last year, it was all about Twitter and this year I feel like everyone is talking about Facebook, again. Brand managers everywhere are looking to join the Facebook caravan. And, every day I see a new article or blog post about Facebook becoming a monster and brands that can’t get enough of the action.  

Today, I came across an article in Wired about how the social media giant Facebook has no regard for privacy in its flight to become the “epicenter” of the Internet. This comes as no surprise to me.  However, what does surprise me is how many brands are relying solely on Facebook to drive brand awareness – to the extent that they are redirecting their corporate domains to their fan page directly – for example, www.vitaminwater.com. The company has experienced great success leveraging social media, but there’s one problem; I’m not sure how their latest move to a Facebook-based website will impact them in the long haul. Time will tell. 

This strategy has sparked a lot of debate and discussion in the industry with regard to its impact on SEO, privacy, legal and now even ownership. A recent blog post by Michael Gray talks about the negative impact of “Putting All Your Eggs in the Facebook Basket.” One of the many really good points he raises that specifically struck me is how brands who do this inherently relinquish the success or failure of their social brand platform to one common denominator – Facebook. 

While nobody can deny the success Facebook brought to marketers as a tool, we certainly don’t think it should be the only method of spreading your messages to brand communities. At the end of the day Facebook is a company that offers a service, and like any other media business they are bound to go through their own set of ups and downs, from a regulatory, operational and growth standpoint. 

We’ve stood witness to some of these over the past several years and even in the present. One of the top issues being discussed today is Facebook’s privacy and how much information is given away to third party sites without explicit permission. This is so much of a concern that tech geeks within companies like Facebook and Google are abandoning ship and shutting down their Facebook pages. This includes Matt Cutts, head of the webspam team at Google who has not technically left, but has deactivated his Facebook account.

The point is Facebook cannot be taken for face value and brands that rely solely on Facebook’s community run a dire risk. Basic logic to managing risk is to diversify. When building a social media platform, it’s best to take a multi-pronged approach with a variety of tools and assets working together – whether that be your website, a blog, Twitter, YouTube or Facebook. Also, developing a plan for overall social engagement online in the form of thought leadership and contributing to conversations that already exist, so you can take your messages out to places where people are already talking about them. All of this will help create a social sphere and active brand presence online that isn’t reliant upon the success or failure of one company. (Original post: http://pepperdigitalblog.com/?p=131)

SMO Tricks To Keep Up Your Sleeve

Repost from Pepperdigital Blog – April 20, 2010

Tweaks that are simple to do, but often left neglected

The concept of SMO (Social Media Optimization) spawns from traditional online marketing where SEO and PPC tactics work to enhance a site’s visibility and drive more traffic. Similarly here are a few tweaks social media strategists may consider to gain better ROI on their own social sites – making them more “spreadable.”

Check out these few simple, yet often forgotten, tricks to help make your content more (a) visible and (b) easy to share: http://pepperdigitalblog.com/?p=137

De-cluttering Your Online Social Spaces

Repost from PepperDigital blog – March 25, 2010

 Spring cleaning is in the air. This is the time of year when people try to organize important yet often forgotten spaces within their home –  whether it is a shelf, under the bed or even the sofa cushions. What about tidying up your social space online? 

 

Over the past couple years you may have started a blog and/or opened a Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn account. You most likely use these tools every day, occasionally or have all-together forgotten about them. Regardless of how often you use these social tools, why not apply the “spring cleaning fever” toward reducing cyber clutter and optimizing your online world.  Here are some basics to get you started:

To read full article: http://pepperdigitalblog.com/?p=146