Poland Spring: Bad Timing Is Everything, Too

When something big happens, is your association asleep at the wheel?

You may be asleep without even realizing it—with something big surfacing in the most unexpected of places. One example of a could’ve-been big moment, and more, in today’s Lunchtime Links:

An opportunity, missed? Last night, the State of the Union produced one truly memetic moment, in the form of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s State of the Union response. Having talked for nearly half an hour with statements in English and Spanish, Rubio, who was on live, awkwardly moved to pick up a bottle of Poland Spring water. It was a goofy, funny moment that immediately left people wanting a response from the bottled-water company, Oreo-style (opens in a new tab). But one was not forthcoming—the company hasn’t updated its Twitter  (opens in a new tab) accounts  (opens in a new tab) in years, and its Facebook feed  (opens in a new tab) was quiet Tuesday night. Fast Company analyzes what might have been  (opens in a new tab) if there had been someone in real time, ready to move. (For what it’s worth, Rubio himself nailed the response  (opens in a new tab).) How can you make sure you don’t miss a golden marketing opportunity?

Vine is growing: In recent weeks, Vine has become a major player in the social media field, and its strength is only growing. How fast? Well, Mashable reports  (opens in a new tab) that roughly 100,000 six-second clips were uploaded over the weekend, and there are already some Vine celebrities, such as actor Adam Goldberg  (opens in a new tab). But does it really make sense for brands? Well, AdAge has some ideas on that front  (opens in a new tab).

Keep a rhythm going: Speaking of online brand management, how’s your rhythm these days? Liz King, writing on the BusyEvent blog  (opens in a new tab), offers some smart advice on how to balance the many things you have on your plate. “Rather than jump head first into online marketing,” she writes, “start slow and see what works for you. Do one thing over and over again until you can get into a groove. Then, add another step to your system. Keep doing this until you look back and are surprised by how much you can balance with so little effort.”

How are you keeping your brand smoothly moving online? Tell us your ideas in the comments.

(Ron Chapple Studios/Thinkstock)