We all know that Twitter offers you the ability to create a trackable, branded hashtag. But have we really thought about the implications of this? You as the company choose the words, letters, and caps on the hashtag. This is a great opportunity to create a name for your company, but it is also a great opportunity to show that you have not planned at all for the branding monster you have just created.
The following list includes major corporations, government agencies, and artists who failed in either the creation, execution, or use of their own branded hashtags. Don’t be like them. Create something amazing and memorable, for the right reasons.
1) #McDstories
Back in 2012, McDonalds decided to launch two branded hashtags at the same time for one campaign exposing the story behind the produce supply chain to their stores. The first hashtag was very specific: #meetthefarmers. The second hashtag was vague: #McDstories. While the first hashtag worked great for McDonalds, the second created a firestorm of negative tweets. McDonalds pulled the hashtag from promotion within two hours. This is still a fail that is living on in blog posts today…
