Dave Chappelle has this great stand-up bit explaining the absurdity of a culture that worships celebrities. Just because revered singers are trusted for their musical taste doesn’t mean anyone cares about their commentary on 9/11.
Today, everything he talks about in the clip could apply to brands on social media, whether they’re abusing the latest trend or honoring a tragedy they have no business honoring. The challenge is striking that balance between developing a creative voice and giving customers what they expect.
Luckily, not all brands this year were busy trying to tie Drake’s latest album into their social content. The best of the bunch posted tweets that were funny, poignant, inappropriate, and sometimes a mix of all three. Without further ado, here are the best tweets of 2016:
Fun fact: January 12 is International Kiss a Ginger Day. On that January date, sandwich shop Jimmy John’s made it know that it has a thing for a certain fast-food chain with a red-haired mascot. The faux-flirting is a cute and harmless way for brands to let their personalities shine through on social. People on Twitter expect brands to talk to customers, but occasionally, corporate Twitter accounts decide to have some fun with each other. Here’s hoping the romance is still strong as January rolls back around.
Here at Contently, we’re big fans of Denny’s Twitter. Half of its tweets could have made the list, but this topical example of humor stands out for its timeliness and honesty. (If Apple had to remove an essential part of the iPhone, it could have at least given me a flapjack.)
On the topic, few things were more multi-purposed in 2016 than the Denny’s pancake. It hosted a Facebook Live Q&A in August, played rim protector in March, and satisfied hungry patrons nationwide every day in between. Bonus points awarded for versatility.
Once upon a time, there was a platform called Vine, where users could create six-second videos of backflips and dabbing Squidwards. Consumers tended to use Vine better than brands, but don’t tell that to DiGiorno, which managed to cram football, pizza, and bad friendship into one imaginative clip.
DiGiorno’s Twitter is generally a fun, irreverent place, where the brand offers NFL analysis and live tweets professional wrestling matches. But no other example was as effortlessly human as that fantastic Vine. And really, that’s what a company Twitter should be.
For some brands, social media is a place to break character, where you can let your hair down and rebel against corporate culture. For Old Spice, all places are suitable for those things,…
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