Brandjacking
Definition: Assuming a brand’s identity on social media to take advantage of the brand and/or its followers
As the use of social media steadily increases, false representations of online entities have become a regular occurrence. In an attempt to have a little random fun, gain access to financial information or to make a political statement, brands have also felt the consequences of online imposters.
When Target announced that they were removing gender descriptions on their toys, they were immediately brandjacked. Posing as Target customer service, the brandjacker responded to the sudden influx of tweets to the brand from unhappy customers with some pretty questionable answers. Luckily, Target caught wind of the brandjacker and released a statement to let its valued consumers know that the responder was a troll (also known as a trickster) and not from their customer service department. They used the incident to promote their retro troll dolls (smart move!) and showed how to properly handle a brandjacking situation.
Even though this brandjacking attempt was eventually thwarted, not all brands will be as lucky. With some precautionary measures, attentiveness to social media pages and a plan to rebound if an attempt is successful, brands can cut down on future brandjacking attempts and stay in good standing with the public!
