Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight

Piggybacking onto major news events can give brands a shot at instant relevance. Or immediate embarrassment.Last week, a German lingerie company circulated some racy but sub-par ads that attempted to capitalize on the Edward Snowden whistle-blower story. They were created quickly, though not very cleverly, and got some play on some major sites — all free media for the brand. No harm done.

This rapid-response marketing has increased greatly in the last few years, and will continue to increase, and the ads and messages will only get faster and faster.The undisputed leader on the quick-ad draw is Oreo....