Join us Sept. 14-16 in Miami to connect with top publishing leaders
Baby, it’s cold outside. Freezing arctic air has blanketed the eastern two thirds the nation — with temperatures in some areas dipping below zero. Yikes.
One side effect of what has become known as the “polar vortex” appears to be a chilling effect on the common sense of brand social media editors. As they so often do, companies have spotted an opportunity in a trending hashtag in #polarvortex and, rather stiffly, attempted to play along.
Here are a few that warrant their chilly receptions:
There was so much more Crest — a minty-fresh and cool-tasting toothpaste! — could have done here. But this makes no sense. Is the “polar vortex” supposed to be synonymous with “sweet tooth or “Achilles heel”? Even so, we’re not sure get it.
Yuck. No thanks, Friday’s. We are fighting the cold one layer of clothing at a time.
You got lucky with this one, AMC Theaters. We’re suddently glad this wasn’t the week some zombie pandemic horror movie topped the list.

Cold beer on the coldest day of the year? We’ll pass. Hot toddie, please.

But if we throw them outside, how will we eat them? This doesn’t seem like it’s in your interest, Junior Mints.
Though still a little cheesy, Wendy’s deserves a pat on the back for at least putting a bit of effort into their tweet:
Their photoshopped Spicy Chipotle Sandwich weather app brought them 380 retweets and 402 favorites. Bonus points because the burger chain didn’t spam the #polarvortex hashtag. Good job!
More in Marketing
Instacart launches custom AI assistants for retailers
Retail giants like Walmart, Kroger and Amazon have launched AI assistants allowing consumers to ask for recommendations or curated shopping lists. Now, Instacart has made it easier for other retailers such as regional grocers to follow in their footsteps.
AI reshapes agency economics, but their contracts are still scrambling to catch up
AI is changing agency work. Agencies are adding provisions to existing contracts instead of rewriting their MSAs.
Ad Tech Briefing: Regulatory storm clouds gather and scatter over Big Tech, and indies count the cost
The FTC’s Amazon charges presage Google’s second antitrust let-off in a year, while The Trade Desk sheds hundreds.



