Sometimes, brands and organizations wants to promote some feel good things on the internet. To do this, brands and organizations will start a hashtag on social media in the hopes that it will bring good things about that brand or organization. But most of the time, when a hashtag is started to promote good things, it backfires! Come on, this is the internet, where people love sharing the bad and weird things that pops up each day. The internet would care more about what that celebrity did to land in rehab versus seeing someone donating a lot of money to a charity. The latest brand to see a good venture hashtag blown up is the New York City Police Department, or NYPD.
The NYPD started the hashtag #myNYPD and encouraged people to share good photos with police officers in New York City. What turned into a feel good venture has turned into a real-time disaster the internet is laughing over. Instead of good photos featuring people standing next to police officers, people are uploading pictures of abuse and brutality by police officers from the department. So, instead of a good-looking photo like this.
Do you have a photo w/ a member of the NYPD? Tweet us & tag it #myNYPD. It may be featured on our Facebook. pic.twitter.com/mE2c3oSmm6
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) April 22, 2014
Users were uploading photos like this.
#myNYPD Creepiest picture I've ever seen.. #ProtectAndServe pic.twitter.com/ha80JWTMxu
— JustChad (@Cloud9Chemistry) April 23, 2014
The hashtag was taken over by people posting some bad photos of unprofessional NYPD behavior, from cops apparently asleep in uniform to officers holding down a person on the pavement. At one time, the hashtag was the a top 10 trending topic on Twitter worldwide. People repeatedly uploaded pictures showing the NYPD Police doing some bad things. From fighting people.
NYPD’s #myNYPD Twitter callout backfires horribly http://t.co/E7UVnZjiYt pic.twitter.com/rNkxvE2UBa
— Zeninjor Enwemeka (@Zeninjor) April 23, 2014
Playing games while on the job.
Must have been a slow day in New York… #myNYPD pic.twitter.com/yLUj7SxH4Q
— Robby Bennett (@CallMeMrBennett) April 23, 2014
Frisk searching pets.
http://twitter.com/readreceiptpapi/status/459018755771621376
Give people free neck massages.
http://twitter.com/MoreAndAgain/statuses/458703571609874432
And yes, even running over someone.
http://twitter.com/CaseyJAldridge/statuses/458704315113156610
The Twitter backlash was even profiled by the New York City newspapers, that’s not good!
#myNYPD makes cover of today's Daily News pic.twitter.com/T0K2au1WiQ
The Revelution shall be tweeted!— Anonymous (@YourFellowAnon) April 23, 2014
NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton was happy the Twitter hashtag went viral on social media. Along with the bad photos, some great photos were also featured. The agency has no plans to stop using the #myNYPD hashtag on social media. Maybe the bad pictures will result in a better NYPD police force, we all hope so! The NYPD debacle is not first time a social media hashtag campaign backfired. McDonald’s did the #McDstories which backfired badly.
One time I walked into Mcdonalds and I could smell Type 2 diabetes floating through the air and I threw up. #McDStories
— chelsea (@chelseabsink) February 25, 2012
And Starbucks did the #SpreadTheCheer campaign which turned into a not paying taxes bashing.
http://twitter.com/SandiaElectrica/statuses/280319401331400704
So let this latest internet laughover be a lesson for any company or organization thinking about starting a hashtag trend on the internet. Do not start a hashtag asking for good photos and/or words. Because the internet is going to make sure it backfires on you. And your good nurtured campaign will become fodder for the late night comics and @Midnight on Comedy Central. I am sure you don’t want that do you?