Photo credit: Steven Frischling
With the world set to end today, social media users have been discussing the Mayan Prophecy as if it were going out of style (like the human race). No discussion of the potential demise of the planet Earth and all who dwell upon it is complete without a look at the social media activity surrounding the event.
While NASA, no strangers to social media themselves, have noted that the Mayan Apocalypse isn’t possible, that hasn’t stopped the conversation from continuing. Join us as we take perhaps our last look at the conversation surrounding a popular trending topic.
Volume is High as the End Draws Nigh
Over the past thirty days, the End of the World, or the Mayan Prophecy/apocalypse, has generated over 2.8 million mentions across social media. Over 800,000 mentions came on December 20 (by 3pm EST) as many people left their doomsday plans and final farewells to the very last minute (much like their Christmas shopping).
Pop Stars Dominate
The most mentioned user on Twitter amongst End of the World discussions? The king of social media, Justin Bieber. Yes, “The Biebs” dominates the conversation with well over 1,500 mentions. Perhaps confirming NASA’s suspicions that the End of the World may indeed be unworthy of serious consideration, the rest of the 10 most mentioned names include several members of the band One Direction, Nathan Sykes of The Wanted, YouTube “star” Philip DeFranco, UK Broadcaster Phillip Schofield and, bringing the slightest hint of gravitas to the proceedings, NBC News.
A few more End of the World social media numbers:
- Females led the conversation over males, 53% to 46%.
- Young people led the way, as 21-34 year olds were the most active. The older demographics appear reasonably unconcerned.
- The United States accounts for 64% of the total share of conversation. Other hot spots of Apocalypse chatter include the UK, Canada, China, The Philippines, The Netherlands, and Brazil.
Brands Get in on the Action
Some brands joined the Apocalyptic conversation with social media campaigns.
Kraft launched both the #KDPocalypse Twitter campaign, which we’ve previously covered, as well as a similar effort from their Jell-O brand. Jell-O is asking fans to Tweet the one thing they would do before the end of the world using the hashtag #funpocalypse. The brand has helped promote its Mayan-centric efforts via its YouTube channel as well.
Takeaway: As noted over at MediaPost, “Food has been ‘over-intellectualized,’ says Jell-O senior brand manager Greg Gallagher. “Fun is in the DNA of Jell-O, and by inserting ourselves in the cultural conversation of the Mayan apocalypse, we will remind people to have some fun with their food.”
Jell-O has inserted itself into a trending topic conversation and brought its own brand personality to the fore. What’s happening in the world right now that your brand can use to showcase its unique worldview?
Fast food chain Carl’s Jr. has been promoting its 12x12x12 burger (12 patties, 12 cheese slices, 12 strips of bacon) with a strong push on its Facebook page.
Takeaway: Show off your goods! The 12x12x12 burger photo has over 22,000 likes and why not? Look at that thing! And that’s a photo that anyone in the kitchen could have very quickly snapped. As C.C. Chapman recently pointed during his Marketing Cloud webinar, he’s constantly taking pictures even if they have no immediate use. Take pictures of everything you have at your disposal; they may come in handy as a cover image for a blog post, or even your Facebook timeline down the road.
Any other Mayan-centered campaigns that have stood out? Tell us about it in the comments while you still can!
