I have to confess: I wasn’t looking at Twitter during the Oscars. But my husband was and he let me know when the Ellen selfie campaign was building. I instantly made a decision not to participate in the retweet frenzy. I liked that Barack Obama’s “Four more years” tweet held the distinction as the most retweeted tweet. People were genuinely excited that he was re-elected. They didn’t retweet because the POTUS told them to.
Last night I learned Ellen’s effort to get the most retweets on her selfie was actually a brand placement for Samsung, as she was using the company’s phone to take the picture. You might think that fact would make me more resolute about not changing my Twitter behavior simply because a celebrity told me to. On the contrary, I kind of regret not following her instructions like a lemming.
We spend a lot of time at RoseComm talking about how some consumers wear their resistance to advertising like a badge of honor. But we also live in a world where we expect great content for cheap or even free. We worry about how those factors are affecting the quality of both journalism and entertainment.
So if I’d known Ellen’s stunt was in support of a brand that helped put the Oscars on television, I would have been way more likely to retweet it. I believe it’s time to reward the brands who are trying to find clever and authentic ways to engage us without crossing any editorial lines.
Did you retweet Ellen’s selfie? Does Samsung’s involvement change your view on her stunt?