When we want to participate in breaking, relevant conversations about what’s going on right now, we turn to Twitter. So it’s no surprise that the world took to Twitter as the Seahawks racked up points against the Broncos during SuperBowl XLVIII.
Contrary to traditional belief, the SuperBowl spotlight doesn’t begin and end with commercial advertisers. With more than 100 million people tuning in to watch and a good fraction of that audience also online, social media is the perfect platform for brands to make a lasting impact by taking advantage of spontaneous moments.
And every major social media team on the planet should be on standby for taking advantage of such moments. Which is exactly what JCPenney did, and it—depending on your point of view—was either a brilliant marketing ploy or will go down in history as a classic example of what not to do in social media.
So, What Happened?
Sometime around when the Seahawks scored their first couple of touchdowns, JCPenney’s tweets started getting…weird. At first glance, tweeters were confused and there was a lot of speculation as to whether we had a marketing ploy or drunk social media manager on our hands, but between JCPenney’s lack of response and a second unintelligible tweet being posted an hour later, followers seemed to be leaning towards the latter. It seemed as though JCPenney was, indeed, drunk and the only reason it hadn’t responded to the buzz about whether or not they were buzzed, was because they were buzzed.
Finally, JCPenney responded to the conversation surrounding its tweets (that were quickly gaining virality): “Oops…Sorry for the typos. We were #TweetingWithMittens. Wasn’t it supposed to be colder? Enjoy the game! #GoTeamUSA.”
The Critics
Critics responded, many confused about whether it was an attempt to cover up a big mess or a pre-planned marketing move. Comments ranged from “Dumb” (@ryanbernat) to “THESE LIES, YOU KNOW YOU CAN’T USE AN IPHONE with GLOVES ON” (@drcorton) to—my personal favorite—”put the drunk girl back on” (@eveningss).
The Cheerleaders
Supporters replied with praise for the brand’s social media team: “smart. Well played. Took a little long but I guess it takes time to create the art” (@thatgenevieve); “Your social team= win. #TweetingWithMittens” (@torbahax); and “wooooow very very clever and free! Whoever came up with this ad idea should get a raise!” (@hemigirl).
So Was it a Planned Ploy or a Good Save?
Your guess is as good as mine. If it wasn’t planned, then it was either because of carelessness or inebriation, neither of which should be adjectives attached to a person responsible for a Twitter account with a following of almost 300,000 people, particularly on SuperBowl Sunday. Judging by the “oops” admission and the poor Photoshop job of mitten photo number two (with a bathroom floor tile background as opposed to the mahogany background of mitten photo number one), this tweet was a rushed attempt at covering up a PR nightmare.
Do not cause others feelings of discomfort or psychological pressure. Success with bedpage women is only half the battle. If you can arouse interest in people in general, the fair sex will definitely pay attention to you. So hone your simple communication skills.
If it was planned and JCPenney wanted some SuperBowl attention, they got it. Was it worth it? Well, it certainly wasn’t as cute as what Oreo did, but it did draw attention to the brand during the most-watched program of the year. And as they say, no publicity is bad publicity. It was, however, risky. Not because of the idea but because of who their audience is. If it were Red Bull, maybe it would have been a better fit. But if JCPenney pre-planned this, then they can’t claim ignorance, they knew the type of response their stunt would draw. In the next few days, I’m sure we’ll find out what kind of effect it will have on the brand.