The Biggest Social Media Marketing Mistakes Of 2011 All Happened On Twitter

It used to be that some companies and high-profile people could screw-up in public and still not make a dent in their overall reputation. But social media changes that to a large degree: One mistake can mean worldwide attention and awareness, but not the kind that companies are usually seeking.

With that in mind, Advertising Age has taken a stab at documenting the biggest social media mistakes of 2011. And what really stands out is this: All of these happened on Twitter.

Here’s the list:

• Weinergate – U.S. Congressman Anthony Weiner sends inappropriate photos to a woman in Seattle, later resigns
• New Media Strategies uses an F-bomb in a tweet from @ChryslerAutos that criticized Detroit drivers
• Kenneth Cole using Twitter to tie the uprising in Cairo to its new spring collection
• Gilbert Gottfried losing his Aflac spokesperson role after tweeting jokes about the tsunami in Japan
• Qantas Twitter content backfiring after its entire fleet was grounded a month earlier
• GoDaddy CEO Bob Parsons tweeting a video of himself shooting an elephant in Zimbabwe
• Netflix announces Qwikster, but failed to get the @Qwikster Twitter name first
• Ashton Kutcher criticizing Penn State University on Twitter after the school fired football coach Joe Paterno
• Miami Heat owner Micky Arison violating NBA rules and getting fined $500,000 after tweeting about the NBA lockout
• Ragu sauce using Twitter and YouTube to make fun of dads who can’t cook well

You can read more background on each episode on AdAge.com.

And we want to know: What would you add or remove from the list of social media mistakes above? Comments are open.

(Stock image via Shutterstock. Used with permission.)

About The Author

Matt McGee

Matt McGee joined Third Door Media as a writer/reporter/editor in September 2008. He served as Editor-In-Chief from January 2013 until his departure in July 2017. He can be found on Twitter at @MattMcGee.