In the days before Christmas, social media can be particularly rewarding. With most people looking forward to a break, the good mood is palpable, and the British sense of humour is in full effect.
The memes come thick and fast.
For brands, this is an excellent time to grab the public’s attention. Of the many heroes and villains of 2021, most people would have put Ryanair firmly in the “villain” camp. But then someone on the airline’s social media team put out a tweet that openly mocked the government, via a spoof traffic light system that compared Coronavirus levels with Downing Street Party Levels, with level 5 being “Full on rave. Everyone off their tits. Jacob crying in corner asking for nanny.”
How everyone laughed. The tweet promptly went viral (98K likes and counting), with many users conjecturing that whoever tweeted it would likely lose their job. I doubt it.
Irreverent as it was, It was a great example of a brand using humour to capture a public mood. It did wonders for Ryanair’s not-always-perfect reputation, pitting it on the side of the underdog and making users feel that actually, a multi-million pound company was on their side.
In today’s highly sensitive climate, it’s wise to play safe. This was a lesson in how a risky strategy can pay immeasurable dividends.
What Lisa Thinks…
“The subject matter is great, the hosts are imaginative and who doesn’t love talking about food? Best of all, this press release had all the info, plus the images to download and made sense!”
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