5 Marketing Blunders That Twitter Could Have Stopped

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If there were any remaining questions about the influence of social media, the debt ceiling deal should put them to rest. Why? The president of the United States encouraged people to light a fire under representatives through Twitter, complete with hashtag (#compromise). According to White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer, all of those Tweets and emails (including those fired off against the president) influenced the agreement, which set for a Monday vote in the House and Senate.

Social media in the enterprise has the same kind of potential for influence, putting pretty much everything up for discussion and providing customers, partners, and competitors with a loud (and sharable) voice. As companies more widely deploy social networking, they, too, will have to figure out how to "listen" and respond to public comments on products, services, and the companies themselves. They'll also need to learn to harness all that opinion for the positive, using it to upgrade and develop products, solve or even head off help desk issues, and so on. The bottom line is that smart companies will leverage social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ to work for them, just as the White House has.

Indeed, had it been around years ago, social media technology as we know it could have saved many companies from many headaches. Imagine if you will:

1. New Coke

In 1985, Coca-Cola decided that its storied and immensely popular soft drink needed to change. The company rolled out its new recipe with much fanfare, but the public responded with a figurative hand over its glass. Not only was New Coke soundly rejected, but also, consumers began hoarding "old" Coke. It wasn't long before Coca-Cola brought back the old recipe, saving face by calling it "Coke Classic." At the time, company president Donald R. Keough said, "We did not understand the deep emotions of so many of our customers for Coca-Cola." Imagine if the company had decided to change its recipe not in 1985 but in 2011. And imagine if it had posted these simple sentences on Facebook and Twitter: "Thinking about changing the recipe for Coke. What do you think?"

2. Microsoft Bob

Say the name "Bob" to anyone who has been in the tech industry for a while, and you'll likely hear snickers. That's because Bob--as in Microsoft Bob--is widely considered one of the biggest tech product bombs ever. Bob, a user interface for Win 95, was designed to help novice users navigate through Windows. With the cutesy house motif (click on a calendar to get to the calendar app!) and doggie guide, Bob was perhaps a little too simplistic, and it became the butt of many a joke. You can check out Bob in retrospect on YouTube, but what if Microsoft was developing Bob now, and provided invite-only access to a Web-based beta (a la Google)? The feedback Microsoft received would have likely made it switch gears, change the target audience--or kill Bob altogether.

10 Crowdsourcing Success Stories

3. Bill Gates' "Internet Tidal Wave" Document

Speaking of Microsoft, the company famously found itself in catch-up mode when it came to the Internet, releasing Windows 95 without a Web browser (among other missteps). When the company realized the error of its ways, and its stiff new competition in Netscape, then-CEO Bill Gates sent the infamous "Internet Tidal Wave" memo to company executives. In the memo, Gates admitted that the company had been flat-footed and assigned the Internet the highest level of importance from there on in. Today, companies can and should be listening to chatter on all social platforms, looking to get ahead of trending topics and analyzing sentiment about their and their competitors' products. Microsoft didn't listen to the chatter it had access to back in the day, and it hasn't exactly been a trailblazer since, but today's social tools certainly make it easier to identify what's hot and, perhaps more importantly, what's not. And, imagine how widely shared the Internet Tidal Wave memo would have been had Gates posted it on Facebook. Of course, the Twitter posts from the Microsoft vs. DOJ trial after Microsoft bundled a browser free in Windows would have been pure social gold. Who knows--Microsoft could have swayed public sentiment its way.

4. Cartoon Network's Aqua Teen Hunger Force

In 2007, the Cartoon Network made a misguided (to say the least) attempt to promote its "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" show. Small, battery-powered screens depicting characters (some with their middle fingers raised) were placed throughout Boston. Trouble was that the screens were seen not as a cool marketing device but as potentially explosive devices. The bomb squad was deployed, and roads, bridges, and subway lines in the city were shut down. In the end, the head of the Cartoon Network resigned and parent company Turner Broadcasting reimbursed the city the $2 million it laid out to defuse the situation (pun intended). Fast forward to today: There's no getting around the inanity of placing electronic signs in public places without permission, not to mention rendering cartoon characters as flipping people the bird, but imagine if the Cartoon Network spent some time building a marketing campaign on Facebook and Twitter, offering a coupon or status of some kind for anyone who spotted the signs (placed, of course, with permission). Social media is a powerful buzz builder. Who knows--"Aqua Teen Hunger Force" might still be on the air.

5. McDonald's McLean Deluxe

In 1991, McDonald's attempted to cash in on the healthier-eating movement by offering an alternative to the Big Mac and Filet 'o Fish. Enter the McLean Deluxe, a hamburger sandwich made lower in fat with the addition of seaweed-derived carrageenan. The sandwich did not do well, and McDonald's dropped it from its menu three years later. Today, McDonald's could include information on its Facebook page that provides all the reasons why lighter alternatives make sense. It could provide videos and nutrition info. It could invite 9 million people to vote on their favorite fare. Oh, wait--McDonald's is doing just that. As for the McLean Deluxe, there's a Facebook page lobbying for its return.

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