---
title: 4 Things You Can Learn From Pace's Social Media Flub
description: Corporate social media gaffes can be entertaining – except for the marketing managers who have to deal with the fallout.
---

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# [4 Things You Can Learn From Pace's Social Media Flub](https://blog.cleriti.com/bid/327185/4-Things-You-Can-Learn-From-Pace-s-Social-Media-Flub)

 Written by [Alicia Bertsche](https://blog.cleriti.com/author/alicia-bertsche) | Dec 2, 2013

UPDATE: It turns out that Kyle Kinane and everyone else on the internet who followed the Pace story has been had.  [Comedian Randy Liedtke established](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/03/randy-liedtke-kyle-kinane-pace-picante-twitter_n_4378949.html) and ran the @Pace_Foods account for months before this ever occurred.  The outcome is hilarious, so make sure to read the [full backstory](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/03/randy-liedtke-kyle-kinane-pace-picante-twitter_n_4378949.html).  

Is there a moral here for companies?  Yup. Pay attention to social media, even if you don't have an account on a particular network.  Someone else might have one in your stead.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Corporate social media gaffes can be entertaining– for everyone except the marketing managers who have to deal with the fallout.  Remember the [errant Chrysler tweet](http://mashable.com/2011/03/09/chrysler-drops-the-f-bomb-on-twitter/) that insulted the brand’s home city? Or when [Amy’s Baking Company imploded](http://www.zdnet.com/10-social-media-lessons-from-amys-baking-company-facebook-meltdown-7000016482/) on Facebook?

Today, there’s a new one to add to the list of “how NOT to run a corporate social media account,” courtesy of Pace foods, makers of Pace Picante salsas.

It all started yesterday when comedian [Kyle Kinane](https://twitter.com/kylekinane) noticed that tweets he had made insulting the Pace brand [several months ago](https://twitter.com/kylekinane/status/294874071118790656) were getting favorited by the company's account, likely thanks to the application of a rogue tweetbot.  Seeing the opportunity, Kinane pounced and made a few more tweets at the company’s expense.

Exhibit A:

Then Pace's social media team stepped in.  And that's when things got interesting.  Below are screenshots Kinane posted of a direct (private) message conversation between the comedian and the Pace Twitter account, with different Pace brand representatives jumping in and out throughout the conversation:

 

The fiasco ended with Pace tweeting a mea culpa and deleting their Twitter account:

Ouch.  Rough day at the office for the Pace folks.

Nobody wants to deal with public embarrassment, so if you're in charge of a corporate social media account, here's what you should learn from Pace's error:

1. **Policing other people's social media comments only makes your brand look defensive.  
   **The Pace issue could have been avoided if they had simply unfavorited the Kinane tweets, issued a mea culpa and carried on with their day. They could have even direct-messaged Kinane and said they were sorry he thought poorly of their brand.  But by requesting that he take down the offending tweets, the brand tried to muscle a social media user into being nice, which never ends well.
2. **Direct Messages are not the place to handle issues.  
   **When you encounter complaints on social media, the appropriate venue to handle the situation is not Twitter Direct Messages, which are character-limited just like regular tweets.  Take the conversation to email or phone so that you can communicate more clearly. 
3. **Appoint a single person to handle communication on each issue.  
   **Whether you're dealing with ribbing from a famous comedian or simply taking care of a customer service issue, keep communication simple by appointing a single person to represent the brand.  Things got confusing when Pace signed their posts as different people.
4. **Keep a positive attitude.  
   **Ultimately, the line between good social media response and bad social media response is drawn between a positive attitude and a negative attitude.  Adopting a negative tone or allowing yourself to become angry, critical, or hurtful is detrimental to you and your brand. Keep a positive attitude, and you'll likely stay on the right side of social media management.

 

 

[View full post](https://blog.cleriti.com/bid/327185/4-Things-You-Can-Learn-From-Pace-s-Social-Media-Flub)

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