Watching last night’s Grammy Awards as a social media addict naturally meant that I had my Twitter feed open and constantly refreshing at the same time (don’t judge, I’m looking at you, Candy Crushers and Instagram addicts!). While my main motivation was reading the hilarious commentary that always ensues around such things, I also found that there was a clear winner last night, as far as the Twittersphere was concerned anyway: Pharell’s hat — the topper that launched a thousand tweets.
The absolutely enormous accessory was such a talking point that it was compared to the Sorting Hat from Harry Potter, Smokey the Bear, and perhaps most hilarious of all, the Arby’s hat. “Hey Pharrell, can we have our hat back? #GRAMMYs” quipped the marketing masterminds behind the Arby’s Twitter account. Before long, the hat had its own Twitter account!
This is a fantastic example of how brands can harness the power of cultural zeitgeist to resonate with their audience, yet again demonstrating the power of real-time branded content marketing (who can forget Oreo’s oft-referenced Superbowl blackout tweet?). Not only did the Arby’s tweet engage fans online, but it also won the brand a sizable reference (and logo screen time) on the Today Show this morning. All it took was some cultural awareness, a little humor, and willingness to take a risk.
Opening my Twitter feed first thing this morning, it was apparent that Pharrell’s five Grammy awards played a pretty poor second fiddle to his headpiece — the real winner of the night. All I can say about the situation is Chapeau! Pharrell, and well played Arby’s. We tip our hats to you.
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