*Whisper*
Hey...
Yeah... you.
Come here, I need to tell you something.
No, come closer...
It's a secret, I need to whisper it.
DON'T NEWSJACK DURING A TRAGEDY!
the process by which you inject your ideas or angles into breaking news, in real-time, in order to generate media coverage for yourself or your business.
Most companies by now know that newsjacking a tragic event, such as the Boston Marathon bombing, is off limits. Others... do not.
Epicurious is one company who has yet to learn this lesson. Read the two tweets below.
During a time of tragedy, it's ok to break away from your social media strategy and just express your thoughts of concern, well-wishes or ways for people to help. Do NOT shill for a scone recipe.
They were called out for this insensitive newsjacking and tweeted these...
Those tweets sound frank and apologetic.
They should have followed that with tweets/retweets of ways to help those who are hurt or stranded in the area. Put out a call for followers who are willing to take in marathoners. Tweet restaurants that are still open and willing to feed/charge phones/serve as meeting points for displaced friends, family, and marathoners. This would have been a great use of their feed.
Instead... they decided to use their energy using a canned reply to people tweeting at them.
This explains how I feel about that...
Epicurious, don't feel so bad. You're not alone. Just ask Kenneth Cole how well he does with newsjacking. Here are good examples of an appropriate newsjacking of The Academy Awards, read and learn.
So... lesson learned, hopefully. Don't do it again.
