Viral news spreads quickly in the world of public relations. Last week, a seemingly innocuous photo of a dual-colored dress took over everyone’s newsfeeds, Tumblr accounts and debates with friends. Was the dress black and blue or white and gold? Such a small question turned into a big conversation.
Is it white and gold or black and blue?
One week after the collective uproar over #TheDress, we noted a few things about how viral content can take over online conversations. Here are 4 PR lessons from the complex controversy surrounding a simple multicolored dress.
4 PR Lessons from “The Dress”
- Join the Conversation
From LEGOs to pizza chains, all kinds of established companies took to social media and jumped on the argument. Inserting yourself into large conversations about pop culture as they happen online is a good way to show your brand is accessible to your target audience.
- Stay on Brand
Brands that maybe weren’t the most creative in their updates did do a good job of staying true to their persona. Tweets saying “The Dress” was actually the colors of their logo did a good job showing their followers they were up to date on the current trends.
- Get Creative
If you’re participating in the online conversation of a new trend, be as creative as possible. So many marketers tweeted and posted their opinion that to stand out, brands needed to get creative. Here are some examples of good, funny and downright crazy reactions.
- Dig Deeper
What started as a simple question became a larger scientific debate about color theory and differing perceptions of color. Find a way to dig deeper and add a new meaning and spin to anything you share or post.
In the end, the dress in question was proven to be black and blue. Although it was a short-lived mystery, it sparked a lively conversation with all demographics of people.
Joining the social conversation, staying true to your brand and being creative are all PR lessons we can apply from the online phenomenon of “The Dress.” Have you been paying attention to the controversy? What colors did you see?
Photo Credit: swiked via Tumblr
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