Oscars & #Bagelgate: Best brand responses of the week

Specsavers provide a stunning brand response

Some time ago I attended a conference and heard the very enigmatic Tim Langlois talk about Specsavers' simple, but extremely effective consumer digital strategy. "We give them entertainment and then when they need new glasses, they come to us." Langlois said that real time reaction to the media agenda with hilarious content was the key to their success. In June 2014, during the decisive World Cup Group D match between Uruguay and Italy, Specsavers' digital team responded to Luis Suarez biting Giorgio Chiellini by tweeting a picture of the Italian defender next to a picture of cannelloni, along with the #shouldhavegonetospecsavers hashtag. This week, Specsavers outdid themselves again with this simple but brilliantly timed tweet after Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty presented the award for best picture to La La Land, instead of moonlight, after being handed the wrong envelope by PWC. Their catchprase has now even been shortened to #shouldve,  having become so popular that it no longer even requires the inclusion of the brand name for it to be recognisable. 

The next unlikely heroes of the week are British Transport Police, whose reaction to a rather bizarre situation on a train that got out of hand, had the hashtag #bagelgate trending on twitter. The BTP were called to investigate a brawl that started when passengers on the 00.54 Great Northern service from Kings Cross put the baked goods on fellow passengers' heads. The police diffused the situation but it was their playful response with a serious message that got the Twittersphere talking.