Kenneth Briodagh

Last year, we saw some of the most exciting moments in social media’s history, proving the platform's worth to brands, freedom fighters and political action committees. But it wasn’t all high points. Last year we saw some of the biggest bombs and screw ups we’ve ever seen. Some were so off-key we kinda thought they were hoaxes at the time. Sadly, they weren’t. We have a full roundup coming in the next issue, but here's a little taste.

Offender: Nestlé


The NFL Experience fan zone for Super Bowl XLVII last Sunday in New Orleans was chock full of brands vying for a bit of the fan's attention. Under Armour, the performance sports wear brand (that incidentally designed Baltimore linebacker Ray Lewis' golden game day shoes), brought one of the hottest games in town with its NFL Scouting Combine Experience. 

In the first 10 minutes on the high street in Sturgis, SD, for the 72nd Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Aug. 6 to 12, I met a man from Ohio, who had ridden across more than 1,000 miles to be there. We strolled together into the Loud American Roadhouse, ordered a whisky for him and a beer for me, and we talked for a while. He was in his late 30s, divorced and fairly new to motorcycling. He got his first bike about 10 years ago, he said. It turned out that he’d recently sold a profitable carpentry business, and was about to start a high-end custom cabinetry shop.

Last week, in the brand’s first foray into experiential marketing, employment site TheLadders hosted more than 3,000 hungry job seekers at New York City’s Grand Central Terminal to give them help searching for their next employment opportunity. The event was a one-day only opportunity dubbed Job Central. The brand invited members from New York and surrounding areas, and had more than 4,300 RSVPs from current members and those who heard about the event through word of mouth.