According to Direct Marketing News, McDonald’s, in February, had a great idea to create a buzz using Twitter. They thought it would be a great idea to promote the fact that they buy fresh produce from farmers. So they tweeted… and even used hashtags #McDStories and #MeetTheFarmers. The only problem is that #McDStories became the sounding board for things unintended by the corporation. Posts about alleged food poisoning, heroin use, obesity were the result. Somebody wasn’t thinking of just how potent Social Media can be.

A lesson learned well, I think.