Why Marketers Should Pay Attention To Twitter Parody Accounts
By: Lisa Arledge Powell, President, MediaSource

The Twitterverse was buzzing on Oscar night about celebrity winners, losers, dresses and body parts. Yes I said body parts.  Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Lopez now have Twitter accounts dedicated to their right leg and nipple, respectively, as a result of these body parts being “featured” at the Oscars. And as marketers we can learn something from this phenomenon.

The con-tweet-versation started on stage when J. Lo’s low cut gown accidentally revealed a little too much cleavage. Carson Daly then tweeted “Dear JLo, your left nipple is out. K, bye, Xoxo carson.”

Minutes later, @JLosNipple became a twitter account!  After posting tweets that ranged from “DID YOU SEE ME!?” to “@MarcAnthony Miss you baby...” the account named for J. Lo’s private body part ended Oscar night with approximately 1,400  followers.

Then Angelina posed on stage in her slit-up-to-there dress that prominently showcased her very long, toned right leg -- all the way up to her thigh. Thus @AngiesRightLeg began tweeting from the #Oscars and made it up to 2,700 followers in just 27 minutes!  As of 9:15 a.m. on February 28 the account for Angie’s leggy look boasted more than 11,000 followers.

These accounts, categorized as Twitter parody accounts, are permitted by Twitter. However, users have to follow certain rules, including not misleading followers or tricking them into thinking you’re the real thing. C’mon -- as if J. Lo would actually start tweeting on behalf of her private parts! Really?

It’s important from a marketing standpoint to monitor and track parodies of your brands on social media channels so that you have a comprehensive understanding of brand buzz -- good, bad or sarcastic. So just as you monitor your brand’s official social media channels, be sure to search and monitor any parody sites. Based on the data you discover, you can then determine if you need to respond and formulate a strategy.

In case you didn’t see what #AngiesRightLeg looked like in the dress, here it is!


You’ll have to do the J. Lo search on your own. LOL

Lisa Arledge Powell  is the President of MediaSource, a multimedia production and media relations company that works with many of the nation’s top hospitals, retail organizations and other business to get their message out to the masses.

Email larledge@mediasourcetv.com, Twitter @LisaArledge or @MediaSourceTV