Community over the Past Few Weeks
TWITTER TOP HASHTAG PICKS OF THE MONTH
Hashtag of the Month:
#WORLDCUP HASHTAG TEAMS UP FOOTBALL FANS ALL OVER THE WORLD
Following in the footsteps of the Royal Wedding in May, the World Cup reigned supreme on Twitter in the months of June and July, from its very start to its final match. Twitter users all over the world tweeted their predictions, impressions, live reactions and moments of glory/despair under the #Worldcup hashtag and many had already added the flag of their favorite country to their username even prior to the official start of the tournament on June 14. Following the opening ceremony, broadcasted live from Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium, each of the matches went on to have its own hashtag, made up of the two countries’ initials, besides the main hashtag. And while many underdogs received countless praise including Croatia for delivering a stellar performance throughout and the Japanese team for always keeping things tidy and clean, Twitter users were left underwhelmed by the performance of some top contenders such as Germany and Argentina and star players like Neymar, Messi and Ronaldo.
ROGER FEDERER DUMPS NIKE FOR #UNIQLO
When Roger Federer stepped out onto Centre Court at Wimbledon for his first-round match against Dusan Lajovic wearing Uniqlo kit, 65% of individuals commenting on social media were in a state of shock. The tennis legend has won 20 Grand Slam titles wearing Nike hence the surprise about the tennis legend's decision to dump Nike and the 20 year partnership for Uniqlo. Arguably, the success of any launch is determined by how many people are impacted by it; given that Uniqlo was trending on Twitter worldwide just minutes after the announcement, the results speak for themselves. Making the announcement on-court rather than in the build-up to the tournament was an innovative approach and enabled Uniqlo to harness the shock factor, maximising its media impact both across traditional outlets and through social media. Some might say it was the perfect example of a "less is more" campaign.
NO ONE SAW THAT FLYING: KSA FASHION SHOW DRONES MAKE ROUNDS ON TWITTER
Organizers of a fashion show in Saudi Arabia faced major backlash and a stream of jokes on Twitter for using flying drones to model the dresses instead of actual models. And while event holders justified their choice by mentioning that their intention was to make the fashion show ‘Ramadan appropriate’, Twitter users and international media were quick to point out the absurdity of the move, deeming it to be one of the weirdest fashion shows in history. Videos of the event showing the black drones moving across the space with outfits [some being Dolce & Gabbana designs] hanging from them, instantly went viral on social media, as people were quick to point out the larger problem reflected in these images, whereby patriarchy and extreme restrictions on women are still the rule in Saudi Arabia. This incident came to counter the buzz over Saudi women being able to finally drive legally on June 24 after the previously issued decree was officially implemented.