House of Fraser's 'Emojinal' campaign got a LOT of people talking, but not necessarily for the right reasons and they aren't the only company to slip up thanks to their own campaign...
Whether it's Sea World's hijacked #AskSeaWorld campaign or Red Lobster missing a massive trick at this year's Super Bowl, we've listed our favourite social media slip ups below...
Red Lobster
Popular American restaurant Red Lobster didn't take advantage of a great opportunity on social media.
They were directly referenced in Beyonce's new song 'Formation' which very quickly started trending on Twitter. It took them over seven hours to respond and they chose to reply with this:
"Cheddar Bey Biscuits" has a nice ring to it, don't you think? #Formation @Beyonce pic.twitter.com/QzgVtYAKNo
— Red Lobster (@redlobster) February 7, 2016
This would have been a great opportunity to connect with Beyonce's fan base as well as people through the hashtag itself. Red Lobster did not do this and they received a lot of messages mocking them for it.
House of Fraser
Popular retail shop House of Fraser did not get the reaction they were hoping for when they ran their #Emojinal social media campaign.
They used emoji filled images to try and engage with Twitter users, but unfortunately their plan backfired and they received a lot of ridicule for their campaign.
SeaWorld
In 2015, SeaWorld, the popular theme park group, started a #AskSeaWorld social media campaign with the hope that it would encourage people to ask about the care of killer whales.
Animal rights campaigners hijacked SeaWorld's social media campaign, among the questions about the care of orcas there were comments directed at the marine parks, criticising decisions to keep animals in captivity. People questioned its ethics of SeaWorld for keeping killer whales and other animals in captivity, often in solitary confinement.
It's safe to say that the reaction was not the desired effect that SeaWorld when they launched this social media campaign.
Victoria's Secret
Popular retailer Victoria's Secret launched a campaign in 2014 with the slogan "The Perfect Body".
This campaign received backlash on Twitter and inspired the #IAmPerfect hashtag, where people called it offensive.
The campaign was poorly judged and should have perhaps been thought about for a little longer before they decided to launch it.
Now you have seen some of the mistakes that businesses have already made when it comes to social media marketing, hopefully you will be able to ensure that your business doesn't follow in their footsteps.
