Poland Spring Botches Marco Rubio's State Of The Union Product Placement Meme

A missed opportunity by Poland Spring to capitalize on a product placement-slash-marketing opportunity-slash solid-gold-meme during TV coverage of President Obama's State Of The Union address is a social-media lesson to all companies everywhere. Social media is important, we all know that. And speed and creativity count, too, as Tide and Oreo can tell you, based on their Super Bowl blackout moments. But you gotta do it right. Sheesh.



Last night, during the Republican Response to President Obama's address, GOP hopeful Marco Rubio took a slightly awkward sip of water (see video below). Nothing odd about that, although there was something a bit klutzy, a bit awkward, about the way he did it. Twitter filled up with comments--as it does, for that is its way.

This Poland Spring ad is terrible.

— Brian McFadden (@BigFatWhale) February 13, 2013

And then the senator posted a photo of the bottle on his Twitter feed. (Note to Sen. Rubio, perhaps one of these would have been a better message vis-a-vis climate change.) Well, this was the Twitter equivalent of catnip. But the Poland Spring Twitter page? Nothing. Not a drop of anything--actually, there hasn't been a drop of anything since July 26, 2010, as CNET helpfully pointed out. The same went for its Facebook page, with people helpfully pointing out that here was the best--no, the best--advertising opportunity for Poland Spring, and why weren't they capitalizing on it? And then, my friends, came the good-humored backlash

Poland Spring Water hasn't Tweeted since July, 2010. Right now, their rep is frantically trying to remember the password. #PolandSprings

— Jory John (@joryjohn) February 13, 2013

Don't mention Oreos. No, don't. Please.

I said as much MT @brandchannelhub: In missing @marcorubio wink, Poland Spring missed its Oreo Super Bowl moment: goo.gl/t8k4C

— Rob Fields (@robfields) February 13, 2013

To the sound of tumbleweeds blowing across the lonely Poland Spring social media landscape, tweeps tweeted.

And now the CEO of Poland Spring will deliver his response to that shameful water break.

— Eric Ledgin (@iamledgin) February 13, 2013

And Viners vined. The whole thing trended on Twitter. Poland Spring trended, but it was all for nothing, because this morning? It's all about #rubio, #rubiowater and the #SOTU.



[Image via Marco Rubio's Twitter feed--not Poland Spring's :-(]