The Smart way to Tweet

This is something I’ve been meaning to write about for a while, firstly because I thought it was hilarious but also because it really shows how careful companies need to be when sharing content online.

First there was Habitat, more recently there was Vodafone and now it appears that the official Twitter account for the Smart ForTwo has royally screwed up.  On 25^th January, Smart posted this tweet:

How to park a #smartcar - Don't try this at home! http://ow.ly/108us

Nothing too unusual and very in keeping with their previous tweets, but I clicked through to the video to see that it was actually a viral ad that was produced prior to the launch of the Toyota iQ.  If you watch the video, you will see that it shows two Toyota iQ’s handbrake turning into very small parking spaces.  That’s right, Toyota iQ...the Smart ForTwo’s main competitor.

Now, for general members of the public this probably isn’t a massive issue...it’s a fun video with small cars, small parking spaces etc etc and they’re probably not going to notice the difference between the cars.

But for the official Twitter account to make such a mistake is just horrific.  They are directing their customers/fans/followers to a viral video promoting their main competitor...it would have been more subtle if they came out and said the iQ was a better car than the ForTwo!

SmartfortwoUK has 469 followers, now if this video gets passed on (in the way viral ads are supposed to), who’s to say how many people could have seen it? Well looking at the Youtube video, it’s had over 5,000 views!  How many impressions is that?  It all adds up you know! 

So how could this happen?  Well the video is labelled on Youtube as a Smart ForTwo, which leads me to say that someone has lazily searched for Smart videos and come up with that one, not checked it through properly and posted it.  Brilliant, they’re the kind of people you want working on your brand!

After I realised their mistake, I pointed it out to @smartfortwouk who’s reply was “@JamieSpafford - Well spotted! We love the video anyway, this is probably NOT how we recommend you park a #smartcar”

Well, no...because it’s not a Smart Car!

And another thing...The tweet is still up there.  Even after they’ve admitted the mistake, they’ve left it there.

WHAT’S WRONG WITH SOME PEOPLE?!?!

It’s been said before, but although social media should be quick and reactive, it should also be right.  If you make a mistake, correct it...don’t leave it there for the World to see.

Or even better, don’t make the mistake in the first place.  Social media is a lot more casual than official communications, but it doesn’t mean the approval process should be any less stringent, so get Smart!