The agency was at the mercy of social media. So rather than fight it, they added fuel to the fire. Within hours, a fictitious administrative assistant, complete with fake Facebook and LinkedIn profiles, was created to take the fall in a leaked internal memo. The agency bought the misspelt key word, driving people to its website that now featured the misspelt word and its Cannes wins. Memes featuring the word were added to the ones already in the blogosphere. The blitz ended with a repeat flyover of the misspelt banner as everyone gathered at the Palais for the final gala.

The social media tone shifted from ugly to puzzled to congratulatory.

Within 3 days the program generated:300,000 tweets130,000 Twitter pictures of our tagNearly 1m media impressionsAnd zero media dollarsBy owning the error and using social media to their advantage, the agency neutralised a potential disaster and turned it into a positive. Within the industry and, more important, inside its own walls, the agency demonstrated that not only can it take a joke, it has the strategic and creative fire-power to stand up for itself against Internet bullies — and win.