“I used a hashtag for a campaign that belonged to an activist group.”

This one still haunts me. I was working at a mid-sized tech company trying to position itself as a champion of small businesses. We came up with a specific hashtag for a campaign highlighting how our software could empower entrepreneurs. The campaign launched with a bang. Influencers were posting, our social media was getting solid engagement, and we thought we had a hit.

Then things took a turn. By day two, we noticed a surge in posts using our hashtag… but they weren’t about us. Instead, an activist group had co-opted it for their unrelated political protests.

Our social feeds were suddenly flooded with posts we couldn’t control, and it became impossible to separate our brand from the movement. Worse, our leadership demanded an explanation, and we had to admit we hadn’t done a thorough check to see if the hashtag was already in use or had political connotations.

We ended up pulling the campaign entirely, which was a massive blow to our budget and morale.