{"id":114455,"date":"2018-04-20T11:52:18","date_gmt":"2018-04-20T11:52:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/?p=114455"},"modified":"2018-05-31T11:20:40","modified_gmt":"2018-05-31T11:20:40","slug":"five-things-wetherspoons-the-suns-readers-the-fts-opinions-agenda-gap-and-facebooks-gdpr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/blog\/five-things-wetherspoons-the-suns-readers-the-fts-opinions-agenda-gap-and-facebooks-gdpr\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Things: Wetherspoons, The Sun\u2019s readers, the FT\u2019s opinions, Agenda Gap and Facebook\u2019s GDPR"},"content":{"rendered":"

This week we\u2019re not mentioning Arsene Wenger leaving Arsenal as it isn\u2019t really a media, marketing or PR story (though it will be when the Arsenal brand inevitably gets scrutinised after their manager of 22 years departs), but we are covering Wetherspoons leaving social media, new readership stats proving tricky, the FT\u2019s new opinions, the MP gender gap and Facebook\u2019s attempt to comply with the GDPR.<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Wetherspoons calls last orders on social media<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Social<\/strong><\/span>JD Wetherspoons has removed all its corporate accounts from Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, in a shock announcement that has surprised the marketing world. In a statement, Wetherspoons said: \u2018Rather than using social media, we will continue to release news stories and information about forthcoming events on our website (jdwetherspoon.com) and in our printed magazine \u2013 Wetherspoon News.\u2019<\/p>\n

Rumours of the real reasons behind the social departure range from it has links with the Cambridge Analytica scandal, to it\u2019s just a publicity stunt, but as Marketing Week has pointed out<\/a>, the real reason might be because it\u2019s just not working for the brand. Marketing Week even goes as far as to suggest social media is designed for people not brands \u2013 and that \u2018people connecting with brands organically on social media was BS from the beginning\u2019. Let that sink in.<\/p>\n

With only 44K followers on Twitter and 100K on Facebook, the channels probably weren\u2019t very useful for Wetherspoons, definitely at least not how they were being used. While many brands re-evaluate their strategy when it is not working, Wetherspoons has decided to focus its marketing efforts elsewhere. Like, if you think they\u2019ve made the right choice, or retweet if you think it\u2019s wrong.<\/p>\n

Incidentally, this is being called Wetherspoons\u2019 greatest ever social media interaction, and in no way points to the reason the brand came off the platforms:<\/p>\n

\n

Wetherspoons have given up social media – but let\u2019s not forget their greatest ever moment on Twitter<\/p>\n

– via @ThePoke<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/lu1eyFBC60<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 James Herring (@itsjamesherring) April 16, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n