Five things worth sharing from the last week or so, brought to you by a different member of the Browser Media team every Friday.
This week’s My Five is by Annie.
1. Homebase deletes ‘tasteless’ Prince tweet
DIY store Homebase has been accused of publishing a promotional Tweet, deemed to be in bad taste following the death of music legend, Prince. News of Prince’s death sparked a huge amount of comment on social media with the hashtags #RIPPRINCE, #PrinceRIP and #Prince trending throughout the day.
The Homebase customer service team unfortunately chose to publish the following:
The stunt was heavily criticised for exploiting the singer’s death for its own marketing purposes, which lead to the offending Tweet being deleted two hours later.
Homebase will look at engagement for that tweet & see success: “no such thing as bad publi…” blah. How about integrity? Taste? Brand?
— Vicky Phillips (@disjointedtales) 22 April 2016
“Make sure you use relevant and trending hashtags to increase your reach,” said someone to @Homebase_help :-/ > pic.twitter.com/Ewd1Wb4N8g
— Adam Tranter (@adamtranter) 22 April 2016
Of course a handful of Tweeters saw the funny side too
@Homebase_help Purple drain, Puurrple drain… #Sacked
— Lee.T.Stoker (@leetstoker) 22 April 2016
2. No Google Penguin 4.0 On World Penguin Day
World Peguin Day of course sparked SEOs into asking about Penguin 4.0 in what could have been perfectly timed update to the algorithm. An employee of Google replied to one request on Twitter complete with penguin gif:
@HenryFunnell We don’t like to be annoying :) But here’s a Penguin to celebrate pic.twitter.com/EMI2KcIChI
— Zineb Ait (@Missiz_Z) 25 April 2016
This surely has made SEOs even more frustrated with the late arrival of Penguin 4.0?
3. “My trunks are quite small”
100 days before the start of the Olympic Games in Brazil, Team GB athletes unveiled their Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic kit. The kit, designed by Stella Mcartney, unsurprisingly features the red, white and blue of the Union flag. Athletes were involved in the design process to ensure the kit can hold up against Rio’s heat and humidity. Of course, the press attention of the launch drew focus toward nearly-naked Tom Daley’s teeny tiny trunks with even Tom himself admitting “my trunks are quite small”. Precarious to say the least at the top of a 10m diving board.
4. Westminster council block Homeless Jesus statue
London, a city that is no stranger to people sleeping rough, has this week seen Homeless Jesus rejected by London Borough Council.
Homeless Jesus, also known as Jesus the Homeless, is a bronze sculpture by Canadian sculptor Timothy Schmalz depicting Jesus as homeless, sleeping on a park bench. The statue shows a man covered in a blanket, his feet carrying crucifixion wounds.
The life-size bronze, which is already on show at The Vatican, Dublin, Madrid, Washington DC and Toronoto, was due to be located in front of Methodist Central Hall, close to Westminter Abbey, to highlight the plight of homelessness in the capital.
The statue, evokes a reaction – as art does for many – however for a city that has spawned the likes of controversial artists like Damian Hirst and featured work from the infamous Banksy, I was surprised to hear that this particular piece had been rejected on the grounds that it fails to improve the character of the surrounding area. Love it or loathe it, this art-based campaign is extremely creative and most importantly, effective.
5. Children form human arrow to help police catch burglary suspects
A group of children taking part in an Easter egg hunt formed a human arrow on the ground to send a signal to the Surrey police helicopter flying overhead.
Surrey Police released a video of a group of children who formed the arrow to point the force helicopter in the direction of the suspected burglars on the run. Upon seeing the arrow, the helicopter crew were able to quickly relay the information to the officers on the ground where two men were subsequently arrested.
The crime fighting move saw the children involved this week thanked and presented with certificates by the police after their “quick thinking” led to the capture of the suspected burglars.
A good news story to round up My Five this week. Have a wonderful bank holiday, everyone!
