RIM Calls On Superheroes To Save Them. Twitter Campaign Backfires

So if you've had your ear to the ground for rumblings surrounding RIM, you'll have figured out that the company aren't doing so great.  A big CEO switcharound, ever-reducing confidence in their lack of innovations, and a tablet that's failed to take off.

It's in these situations where we regress into our somewhat geek-ridden imaginations and conjur a super hero, well that's exactly what the company has done.  'The Bold Team' infographic was created off a Twitter campaign they did surrounding #BeBold resolutions, analysing 35,000 tweets worth of data and collating them into four cartoon personas.  While this is all fair and good, one slight issue has blown up in RIM's faces: the hashtag #BeBold has been hijacked (a bashtag) due to it's vague nature and the decision to make cartoon characters to stick a smiley face on a company which is tanking.

All we can say is learn from this example.  Be clever with your wording, as to not invite sarcasm, and generally stay away from hashtag campaigns when your brand is in the news for its vulnerabilities.

Source: Blackberry