If you’re on any social media site, chances are that you’ve either seen or participated in it. It’s fun. It’s (sometimes) embarrassing, yet funny at the same time. It’s history. It’s Throwback Thursday or better known as #TBT!
Urban Dictionary does a swell job at explaining what exactly Throwback Thursday is all about – “When you put a picture from a “while” ago on your social media sites” (January 26, 2012). Okay so it’s not the best definition, but it gets the point across, right?
If you were to explore my personal social media accounts, you’re bound to find numerous Throwback Thursdays. It’s a great way to reminisce through social media and I enjoy the laugh from viewing everyone else’s throwbacks. So it came as a surprise to me that it never crossed my mind about this being something great for businesses and organizations until I read Craig Carter’s article “8 brands making the most of Throwback Thursday” on Ragan’s PR Daily.
Carter does a much better job explaining Throwback Thursday and how it came about “as a way for people to share older pictures of themselves or reminisce about the past in general” (Carter, March 7, 2014). Carter uses specific examples of brands that have jumped on the #TBT bandwagon, my favorite being Wendy’s and their #TBT to when they opened the first modern day pick up window (drive thru). This made me realize how extremely clever it is for businesses and organizations to join in on the fun of yet another social media trend.
The #TBT trend allows businesses to share a piece of history with their audience; it gives the audience a slice of who the brand is. It invited the audience to share the laughter of how far you’ve come and be thankful for it. Also, it’s a great opportunity for the audience to learn something that they hadn’t known before about the brand.
So what’s your next #TBT going to be?
Sources:
throwback thursday. In Urban Dictionary.com. Retrieved March 9, 2014, from http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Throwback+Thursday.
Craig, C. (2014, March 7). 8 brands making the most of throwback thursday. Ragan’s PR Daily. Retrieved from http://prdaily.com/socialmedia/Articles/16200.aspx.
A Word From Katie 