One little cookie is haunting us all. I’m talking about the ‘Oreo moment.’ We all wish we were behind that blackout tweet. The fact that it was a Twitter first for brands makes it even more annoyingly desirable. But, we need to stop pursuing it.
Power out? No problem. pic.twitter.com/dnQ7pOgC
— Oreo Cookie (@Oreo) February 4, 2013
This week, Tesco, Yorkshire Tea and Cadbury showed everyone up and set the standard for how brands need to be acting on Twitter to be the everyday Oreo. What happened: When Tesco Mobile received a tweet from a fan, they jumped into a candid conversation, funny enough for others to follow. Then, they engaged other brands who jumped in and kept the ball rolling. Twitter hot potato took off without a hitch.
The SuperBowl Oreo moment was possible because it was part of a campaign that had been going on for 18 months and there was a full brand and agency team waiting to publish branded content during the big game. The Tesco and co. conversation was a success because the brands were being managed by real, live humans who had the brand’s trust to respond in real-time, on brand.
We shouldn’t be looking for a singular, flashy moment. We as an industry should be pushing brands, no matter how high the uphill climb, to connect with their audience, every time they say anything on social. Spending meaningful time with fans daily is ultimately far more valuable in terms of affinity.
But how do brands actually do this? They need to act like a human in an environment built for humans. Brands need to make their best storytellers the voice behind their Twitter handle. Agencies can create content and strategically plan the campaigns that span brands’ social channels. But, the person who lives and breathes the brand and knows the story inside and out should be the Twitter voice. Hand over the keys to the kingdom to someone you trust in every situation, in every conversation that could arise between your brand and the socially-savvy group who has generously opted into your messaging.
Maybe, just maybe, if we can start using Twitter the way Twitter was intended, we can get to a place where brands can naturally experience a big Oreo moment without months of planning.
