Social Media Icon Awards 2015: Best Use of Hashtags on Twitter

Winner: TBWA/Nissan United—Deadmau5 #OMGTR

After popular DJ Deadmau5 decorated a Ferrari that he planned on using in an upcoming rally, Ferrari wasn’t pleased with the new design and sent him a cease and desist order to return the car to its original paint scheme. What ensued was nothing other than a brand crisis as the DJ and his legions of fans publically criticized the famed automaker. In response, Nissan designed a custom GT-R and offered it as a consolation over Twitter. What happened next was nothing short of a whirlwind.

Altogether, one tweet became a massive conversation with a top celebrity for the brand—covering every corner of the world, with a physical counterpart to what was initially thought of as a purely social moment as the car was delivered to Vegas for the DJ to test drive. It also resulted in a very public and extremely positive review of the car, as well as the addition of the Deadmau5 Nissan “OMFGTR” GT-R into the Forza Horizon 2 racing video game. The campaign went from one tweet to over 350 million impressions—24 million of those being solely on Twitter from the first 24 hours, where the initial back-and-forth took place. The story spread to more than 19 countries and was covered in 26 languages, truly defining a global success for the brand.

Honorable Mentions

  • American Society of Clinical Oncology - #ASCO14: A Better Conference Hashtag
  • Live Nation Entertainment - One Direction #OnTheRoadAgain1D Hashtag Promotion
  • Mullen PR and Sway Group - #LoveIsAGift
  • National Marine Manufacturers Association - #MiamiBoatShow
  • The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company - #RCMemories on Twitter
  • United Nations Foundation - Social Good Summit #2030NOW
  • Weber Shandwick and Suave Professionals - #DateNightHair with The Bachelorette