Blog post by: Melissa Ignasiak
Living in a digital world, people are just as likely to see a breaking news event on their social media accounts as they would on a news website. Marketers are beginning to create social media campaigns that are released in the same amount of time it would take for a news journalist to write and release a story. These campaigns take over Twitter and Facebook feeds and become a national conversation, helping brands to relate to those experiencing the event.
One of the most talked about campaigns of this kind is Oreo’s blackout campaign during the 2013 Super Bowl. When a power outage 
caused the lights in the Superdome to turn off for over half an hour, within minutes, Oreo launched an online campaign. The ad read, “Power out? No problem” with a single Oreo and the caption “You can still dunk in the dark.” The campaign received over 15,000 retweets and more than 20,000 “likes” on Facebook.
So how did Oreo manage to release their blackout campaign so quickly? It turns out they had a team of fifteen social media specialists ready to respond to any big event that happened during the Superbowl, whether it be the biggest play of the game or a blackout. “Oreo was in the right place at the right time,” says Shama Kabini, CEO of The Marketing Zen Group. “Next year, advertisers will be sitting there, waiting.”
Days after the Superbowl, the Northeast region began preparing for snowstorm Nemo. Shortly before the blizzard hit, Starbucks released Twitter and Facebook ads aimed toward those in the Northeast. The campaign had a “Snow Day” theme and advertised free coffee offers in areas where the weather had forced local Starbucks to close down.
Starbucks spokesperson Linda Mills stated, “We always want to stay highly relevant to what’s going on. We want to be a part of the consumers’ decisions as they get ready for the weekend in terms of their product needs, such as coffee.”
Although Starbucks has not released the outcome of their “Snow Day” campaign, industry specialists have described the brand’s efforts as “the future of marketing”. Whether it is a political, entertainment or a weather event, marketers will be certain to be ready to advertise accordingly and join the national conversation across social media platforms.
Sources:
http://www.wired.com/underwire/2013/02/oreo-twitter-super-bowl/
http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/name-event-and-some-marketer-will-be-ready-exploit-social-media-1
http://www.temple-ama.org/think/2013/02/11/snowed-in-with-starbucks/47358
http://twitteroo.net/tech-starbucks-pushes-snow-day-on-adweek/
9206327648
