Background: We’re an agile, entrepreneurial marketing agency that’s always on the lookout for exciting opportunities. This includes newsjacking when the time is right. On the afternoon of October 4th 2021, something extraordinary happened: Meta’s family of apps (Facebook, Messenger, Whatsapp and Instagram) experienced an unprecedented global outage for more than three hours.
What we did: As soon as we registered the outage (and realised it wasn’t just a brief local one), our team got together to brainstorm ideas about how we could newsjack the situation. Using data on how many messages and calls are normally made using Meta apps, we decided to estimate the number of lost messages and phone calls that would have taken place had the outage not happened. To add a playful twist to our newsjacking stunt, we also estimated how much time people gained by not being on those social media apps.
What happened next: We closely monitored the situation as it developed. As soon as the outage was over, we finalised our calculations, visualisations, press release, email pitch, and media list. We scheduled everything for distribution first thing in the morning, and went to bed.
The results: We successfully newsjacked Meta! The following day, more than 100 top media outlets around the world mentioned ABCD Agency in their articles on the topic of the outage, including Die Zeit, FAZ, Berliner Zeitung, der Tagesspiegel, CNN and Yahoo News! If you’re interested in newsjacking for your brand, reach out to us at contact@abcd.agency.