When is it appropriate for a brand to “pay tribute” on social media to departed public figures and those affected by tragedy?
n the wake of Prince’s death, KITE HILL CEO and founder of Communications Week, Tiffany Guarnaccia was quoted in Momentology, imparting the following advice:
“If a brand doesn’t have a direct connection to Prince, they shouldn’t try to force themselves into the conversation. It feels inauthentic and can cause a negative backlash,” she said.
Negative backlash was indeed felt by several brands, for their attempts to incorporate their own branding into their tributes to the music icon, even if the brand did have an allowable connection to Prince. As Lisa Lacy says in the aforementioned article, the line between an authentic tribute and shameless self-promotion can be hard to judge in these cases.
o read the full article, How To Solve The Brand Tribute Problem, by Lisa Lacy, click here.