With the Oscars coming up on Sunday, you may be thinking of the real-time marketing opportunities at hand. Some brands may score big and chime in at the right time with the right content. Some brands may chime in exactly at the wrong time and gain impressions for all the wrong reasons. Most brands will chime in at any time with generic content, and make no impression.
If you are thinking of adding to the Oscars conversation on Sunday, here’s what NOT to tweet:
Anything blatantly offensive.
We’re talking “The Onion calling Oscar nominee Quvenzhané Wallis a very bad word for no apparent reason” offensive. It’s OK to make jokes during the Oscars, but know your limits. A good rule of thumb is to think of what host Ellen DeGeneres may joke about (try to steer clear of what Ricky Gervais would joke about). Or if you’re really stumped and worried about offending someone, think WWMS (What Would Mom Say). If she’d slap you silly for joking about a 12 year-old girl, then don’t say it.
Obvious promotional material.
It’s cool to relate topics back to your brand, but there is a fine line between making a casual mention and an overt statement. Sprint made a noble attempt at last year’s Oscars, but the link is a little exaggerated here:
Lincoln may not know what a cell phone is but even he can appreciate Truly Unlimited data while on the Sprint network http://t.co/9luyK6FfzW
— Sprint (@sprint) February 25, 2013
Generic content.
Remember that conversations will be geared toward THIS year’s Oscars, and focus on recent events. You want to make sure that you’re updated on events during the ceremony and all of the nominations and winners. Tweeting about movies in general will not help you engage with Oscar watchers.
From the Potters to the Skywalkers, who’s your favorite movie family? #Oscars
— New York Life (@NewYorkLife) February 25, 2013
New York Life has a nice organic thought, but the tweet could have been made more engaging with more specific examples.
What other examples would you give for what not to tweet during major events?
