Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight

The Oxford English Dictionary’s word of the year for 2015 was in fact not a word. It was the ‘Face with Tears of Joy’ emoji. This one >

You’ll no doubt recognise it – here’s how it looks interacting through social networks and apps, and we’ll also look at what this shift means for marketers. Let’s go!

You might think Instagram is all about photography. Not so, says David Kolbusz.

"Instagram is a writer's medium," the creative director declares at the top of his feed. And he makes a good case for that with his posts—a hodgepodge of everyday shots brought to life with hilariously twisted, ranty, profanity-laced captions. 

Kolbusz frequently tees off on society's ills, harboring a particular distaste for idiotic technological "advancements." (Recent recurring targets include selfie sticks and hoverboards.) But some of the best posts are almost like short stories, as Kolbusz invents a whole ludicrous backstory to the image presented. Check out a handful of our favorite posts below....

The “war on Christmas” has gone too far.

Children in Norway received a traumatic surprise last week when Aftenposten, the country’s second-largest newspaper, mistakenly published an obituary for Santa Claus on the newspaper’s Web site, where it quickly went viral.

The newspaper swiftly removed the fictional death notice and apologized, but not before a generation of little Haralds and Hildes were left crying in their herring. (Seriously, I kid the Norwegians because I love them.)

The obituary announced that “Dear Father Christmas, born 12 December 1788” had passed away on December 3 at the ripe old age of 227 in the town of Nordkapp, fittingly located at Norway’s extreme northern point above the Arctic Circle. The notice, which included an image of a cross, added that a funeral and memorial service would be held at the “North Pole Chapel” on December 28....

There are both many privileges and many challenges that go hand-in-hand with living the life of a designer. From dealing with difficult clients to figuring out how to manage your time, the designer life has a slew of common problems -- many of which are illustrated in the hilarious cartoons below.

Read on to learn more (and laugh!) about some familiar designer problems that you most likely share with creative types across the world....

Truthfully, the best brands to follow in social media should probably have a combination of all those characteristics. But I'd venture to say that many of you are following a brand simply for its entertainment value. (I know I am.)

You know -- the brands that really tickle your funny bone and sometimes even make your sides hurt from laughter. And while it may not seem like a funny update has any value, surely there's value in showing off your personality and being a lovable brand, right?

So to help bring out your inner comedian, we've compiled a list of brands whose social media presence gives us the giggles. Check 'em put....

Are you completely stuffed yet? If not, get to it! You’re in a dining room with family you unfortunately haven’t seen in way too long. In front of you sits some of the nation’s most iconic dishes. Family style sets in and the race begins.

Your cousins dig the serving spoon into the mashed potatoes like a lion’s teeth in prey. Uncle John rips off the turkey leg with the authority of a man of law. The fruit salad is demolished by the young’ns and wine flows like water off glaciers.

Okay, maybe the picturesque Thanksgiving isn’t how we all experience it. Mostly it’s catch-up conversations with family members and the host family stressing out too much while trying to please everyone at once. Yes it’s stressful, yes we eat too much, but there is hope at the end of the tunnel. Running.

After your meal take time to assess how much exercise you’ll need to offset the extreme amount of calories you just put in your body. Today’s graphic will help you add up the time needed out shedding turkey fat.

In 140 characters or less, brands on Twitter have given themselves a bad name. It's not exactly hard to understand why—from a series of Twitter missteps, to overused, lazy jokes or their persistent desire from some brands to insert themselves in conversations they don't belong in.

Why even bother following a brand's Twitter account?

Every so often a brand gets it right. Some demonstrate quick thinking during real-time events, as seen by Oreo's famous dunk in the dark Super Bowl tweet. Others use quick wit to win people over, think Arby's Grammy tweet pointing out the resemblance between its own logo and Pharrell's hat.

Then there are brands such as Totinos and DiGiorno Pizza that crack absurb and silly jokes at unexpected times to garner laughs and followers. Totinos tallies 77,400 Twitter followers, while DiGiorno has racked up 93,100. Take a look at funniest brand accounts in the video above that may even have the power lighten up that dark, brand-hating soul of yours....

I do not want your stupid app
I will not use this siloed crap.
I do not like them, Sam-I-am.
I do not want this mobile spam!

Would you like them on your phone?
On your waking home screen shown?

No! And no and no and no!
I do not want your stupid app
I do not want these wares of crap....