Copy the link to learn more on our site: http://www.mdgadvertising.com/blog/social-media-blunders-infographic - As the popularity of social media continues to accelerate, it’s no surprise that famous faces and well-known brands are increasingly using these platforms to reach the people responsible for their fame. The power of these social media channels allows actors, comedians, athletes, and companies to interact with their followers, yet the casual comfort of these conversations can sometimes result in social slip-ups. MDG Advertising developed the following infographic that shows how the improper use of social media has caused some big names to gain unfavorable attention, but has also allowed them to quickly win back their faithful fans. First of all, celebrities view social media as yet another stage, but one where they can show more of their real personalities instead of playing a character. Their fans and followers usually shower them with adoration and attention, but sometimes their casual comments can spark major drama. Actor Ashton Kutcher made one such social media slip-up by taking to Twitter to express his outrage over the firing of Penn State Coach Joe Paterno. Unfortunately, Kutcher was unaware of the sordid sexual details behind the termination and his words angered many. Taking advantage of the real-time nature of social media, the actor quickly deleted the tweet and said he was sorry for his rash statement. Following the controversy, Kutcher let his media team control his commentary. Athletes have also been quick to jump into social media and their fans flock to interact with their larger-than-life heroes. Many sports stars love being able to speak their minds, but sometimes their comments can score serious fan fury. As long as the matter is handled quickly and permanently, all can be ultimately forgiven. This was the case when Kareem Jackson tweeted a picture of himself at a cockfight in the Dominican Republic with a comment comparing the huge spectator turnout to the crowds at a college football game. The brutal photos caused public outrage when people equated them to the Michael Vick’s dog-fighting scandal. Fortunately, the tweets were rapidly deleted and the dilemma disappeared. Put your social media marketing in the hands of seasoned social media professionals who understand the marketing, legal, PR, and brand benefits of a targeted social media strategy. Contact MDG Advertising at 561-338-7797 or visit http://www.mdgadvertising.com.

1. SOCIAL MEDIA BLUNDERS
FANS AND CUSTOMERS ALIKE CAN GET MORE
THAN THEY BARGAINED FOR WITH SOCIAL MEDIA.
Social media has become an important and powerful online tool. It enables celebrities and athletes to easily reach their
fan bases and helps businesses continuously engage their customers. While social media's real-time nature makes it ideal
for spreading messages and responding quickly, that same quality allows for occasional blunders and bad judgment to be
broadcast on a very public scale. Fortunately, social media also allows for the rapid retraction of these subtle slip-ups.
Take a look at some of the more famous mistakes and mix-ups made on social media.
CELEBRITIES
Actors and athletes alike use social media to show a side of themselves that fans can’t see on the screen or at the game. But this
exposure can also get them in hot water.
ASHTON KUTCHER
THE MISTAKE
“How do you fire Jo Pa? #insult #noclass as a hawkeye fan I find it in poor taste.”
WHAT HAPPENED
The actor tweeted his response to the firing of Penn State Coach Joe Paterno, being unaware JOE PATERNO
that Paterno was fired for his involvement in the student sexual abuse scandal.
THE RESULT
Kutcher deleted the tweet, apologized, and then handed his account over to his media team.
ANTHONY WEINER
THE MISTAKE
Sending partially nude photos of himself to women.
WHAT HAPPENED
A photo of a man’s crotch was sent to a college student from the U.S. representative’s
Twitter account. The politician claimed it was the work of a hacker. When other pictures
surfaced, Weiner continued to deny involvement. He later confessed and apologized for
sending lewd photographs and inappropriate messages to a few women over the course of
several years.
THE RESULT
With mounting pressure from the media and fellow politicians, including President Obama,
Weiner finally gave in and stepped down from office.
WOODY HARRELSON
THE MISTAKE
“First of off, its not true, and second off, I don't want to answer questions about
that. Lets focus on the film people.”
WHAT HAPPENED
The actor agreed to do an AMA (ask me anything) session on Reddit, but what was
supposed to be an honest exchange between the actor and fans quickly devolved into
an obvious promotion for Harrelson’s movie Rampart. Harrelson became flustered after
one of the commenters told a story that involved Harrelson crashing a hotel prom
party and sleeping with a student.
THE RESULT
The meme “Scumbag Woody Harrelson” was created, which poked fun at the actor turning
every question into an answer about Rampart. Fans called it “the worst AMA of all time” and
an “epic fail by Woody Harrelson’s PR machine,” which was followed by a small online campaign
against Rampart.
KAREEM JACKSON
THE MISTAKE
“My first time ever seeing a chicken fight to the death it was crazy.”
WHAT HAPPENED
While on vacation in the Dominican Republic, where cockfighting is legal, Jackson tweeted
a picture of himself at a cockfight. He also tweeted, “Look at all these people that be at
these chicken fights, you would think it’s a college football game.”
THE RESULT
The tweets were quickly deleted after a backlash from angry fans who compared the photo
to Michael Vick’s dogfighting.
BUSINESSES
For every chance to further engage clients and customers with social media, there’s an equal opportunity for everything to go wrong.
KENNETH COLE
THE MISTAKE
“ Millions are in uproar in #Cairo. Rumor is they heard our new spring collection is
now available online at [link] -KC."
WHAT HAPPENED
Kenneth Cole made light of the riots in Egypt in a tweet.
THE RESULT
The designer apologized on his company’s Twitter less than two hours later, but the media
had already begun coverage and commentary. Then came the hashtag #boycottKennethCole
and a new trend of humorous (but fake) insensitive Kenneth Cole tweets.
'
NESTLE
THE MISTAKE
“Thanks for the lesson in manners. Consider yourself embraced.”
WHAT HAPPENED
Greenpeace activists flooded the Nestlé Facebook page with comments and altered logos,
criticizing Nestlé’s contract with Sinar Mas, palm oil company that Greenpeace said was
responsible for the destruction of Indonesian rainforests. This led to the snarky retaliation
of Nestlé’s fed-up Facebook page administrator, who shot back with sarcastic comments.
THE RESULT
Nestlé ended its contract with the palm oil company in question, and the administrator’s
comments have become a famous example of how not to engage customers online.
'
RAGU
THE MISTAKE
“Do your kids like it when you make dinner?”
WHAT HAPPENED
Ragú sent reply tweets to popular male bloggers in order to bait them into checking
out their video of mothers complaining about fathers in the kitchen.
THE RESULT
With a video that was more insulting than satire and a Twitter campaign that looked like
a spam attack, Ragú quickly saw a very negative reaction. The very father bloggers they
were trying to lampoon and attract told their followers that Ragú used spam tactics and
campaigned against dads.
SOCIAL MEDIA SAVE
One organization turned a social media error into something good.
AMERICAN RED CROSS
THE MISTAKE
“Ryan found two more 4 bottle packs of Dogfish Head's Midas Touch beer.... when
we drink we do it right #gettngslizzerd"
WHAT HAPPENED
An employee at the Red Cross thought she was on her personal Twitter account. She wasn’t.
THE SAVE
The Red Cross posted a follow-up tweet that read, “We’ve deleted the rogue tweet but rest
assured the Red Cross is sober and we've confiscated the keys.” This gained the Red Cross
some good attention for having a sense of humor about the situation and even struck up a
“beer for blood” deal with Dogfish Head.
With proper execution, social media offers celebrities, athletes, and businesses a chance to make a positive impact, while
inviting fan and customer interaction that wouldn’t exist otherwise. Preventing mistakes should be a priority, but even
when things go wrong, a professional recovery can help minimize the damage.
SOURCES: INC.COM ° BLEACHERREPORT.COM ° MASHABLE.COM
mdgadvertising.com
MONEY.CNN.COM ° NEWS.YAHOO.COM ° THEFUTUREBUZZ.COM
twitter: @MDGadvertising