Xenophon Strategies

When Good Hashtags Go Bad: How McDonald’s Lost #McDStories

Erica Lawton

Twitter hashtags can be a great way to rally an online community and promote a campaign initiative. For instance, during The Salvation Army’s inaugural World Record Bell Ringing Contest for the 2011 Red Kettle Campaign, the hashtag #RingItOn was tweeted more than 19,500 times and helped bring greater attention to the effort.

Sometimes, though, a hashtag can take on a life of its own – and not in a good way. Recently, McDonald’s sent tweets with the hashtag #McDStories while promoting positive stories of their employees.  Quickly, users created negative tweets of their own, ranging from bad experiences at McDonald’s locations to allegations regarding the quality of the food, all while using the same #McDStories hashtag. Although McDonald’s responded to negative remarks sent by PETA’s Twitter account, as well as comments from supporters, they lost control of #McDStories and its purpose.

With such a world-famous yet polarizing brand like McDonald’s, it’s not hard to imagine that any hashtag or promotion from the organization would be met with some criticism. While social media is great for interacting with fans and supporters, it’s impossible to control just how people will react and whether a hashtag like #McDStories will grow in an unexpected way.

However, in situations such as this, it’s best to work to change the subject and bring it back to your ultimate goal. After all, no matter what your communication objective is, it’s always important to take control of your own #Story.

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« return to blog | Jan 24, 2012 | McDonalds | Twitter