We pay a lot of attention to what brands do in the social space—not only because it’s our job, but because it’s downright interesting, too. And when we saw the Twitter war erupt Tuesday between AMC and Oreo, well, we laughed—really, really hard!
AMC v. Oreo: The Backstory
Here’s the scoop. Oreo tweeted the following message:
And in a brilliant counter, AMC replied with three simple but effective words:
Since then, AMC’s tweet has been retweeted more than 500 times. And each brand has posted another reply, too:
Why This Rules, aka The Power Of Personality
On the surface, this is a hilarious Twitter exchange between two global brands. But to us, it’s much more than that—it’s a case study in why brands should have personalities.
When we work with brands and businesses in the social space, many of them are leery about creating a company personality—instead, it’s more familiar to act like a business entity rather than an individual. And each time, we do our best to counter this way of thinking.
After all, brands are created and run by people—so, by extension, they’re people, too, right? And every brand has a story. What are you, as a brand, passionate about? What do you want your customers to know about your brand? What sort of experience do you want to deliver? All of these questions (and many more) are critical in shaping your brand’s personality and story, two components that will guide your digital marketing strategy and be especially important as you devise and implement your content marketing strategy.
Today’s consumers are bombarded by brands. No matter what product or service they seek, they’ve got options—lots and lots of options. By showing the personal side of your business and telling your brand story, you’ll have a much better chance at forming a connection with a customer—and that sort of relationship-centric marketing can prove hugely valuable in the long-run.
Take the AMC/Oreo situation, for example. AMC could have responded in a myriad ways (or not at all). They could have channeled corporate-speak in talking about the no outside food rule, or linked to their food and beverage policy. But that’s not what AMC is about. Instead, they want to deliver a fun, entertaining experience to moviegoers—and that sort of lighthearted personality is reflected in the company’s responses to Oreo.
And while we’re on the subject? Kudos to AMC for keeping such a close eye on the Twitter stream and finding unexpected engagement opportunities. Shane Adams, AMC’s interactive marketing manager and author of the original reply, is not only brilliant—he’s a friend of ours, too, and we’re thrilled to see his efforts get such widespread coverage.
But we digress. If there’s a lesson in all of this for brands, it’s that you should identify your brand’s story and personality—and then use those tools to guide your digital strategy and content creation. Although we tend to learn from situations in which brands or businesses made embarrassing missteps, the AMC/Oreo exchange is a pertinent reminder that we have as much to learn from companies who do things the right way, too.
What did you think of AMC’s reply to Oreo? Are there other brands who are doing a great job of sharing their stories and personalities in the social space? Give ‘em a shout-out, won’t you?
Lead image via Chicago Tribune
