The funny thing about social media is that it’s always live, and a lot of the time, your audience is not very forgiving. Okay, so maybe funny isn’t the right word, especially for a social media coordinator. We’ve all had that moment of panic after sending a tweet that has an unfortunate typo.

Sometimes, though, that little mistake can be a spark of creativity. If the conditions are right, what was once an embarrassing tweet can turn into a viral rally cry. The NHL’s St. Louis Blues recently experienced this when spellcheck provided the team with a new slogan.

You have to be ready for anything on the Internet, and we’re up for the challenge.

The Birth of #RoarBacon

It all started with a big goal. The Blues, facing off against their archrivals, the Chicago Blackhawks, were down three goals in the second period. That didn’t last long as the Blues offense hit its stride and tied the game at five thanks to a goal from their captain, David Backes.

The Blues’ social media team quickly hopped on Twitter and Instagram to post the update for their followers. What happened next was what could be best described as a happy accident.

The text accompanying the Instagram post read as follows (emphasis added):

“Well that was something. #OurBlues roar bacon with three second-period goals to tie the game 5-5. #STLvsCHI” 

Yep, that happened. What was originally meant to read as “roar back” was mangled by iPhone autocorrect and turned into “roar bacon”, but by the time anybody on the team noticed, it had caught on.

Roll with It

The typo had spread and St. Louis fans were showering Twitter with the hashtag #RoarBacon as a rally cry as the Blues ultimately came back to win the game 6-5 in overtime. In no time, fans got #RoarBacon trending in St. Louis and the typo had officially become a meme.

The Blues have since run with it, writing about the event on their site, and featuring fan-created images and videos. Backes, the man responsible for the gaffe in the first place, even brought a live pig (named Piggy Smalls) into the locker room as the new team mascot. There’s even talk of throwing bacon on the ice after wins.

Happy Accidents

It’s hard to nail down how things like this can snowball the way they do. A lot of the popularity can be attributed to the setting. An important game against a rival featuring a dramatic ending is certainly more memorable for fans, and it’s hard to imagine the slogan being as popular had the team lost.

At its heart, the mistake was a perfect example of the absurd humor only possible on social media, a well-meaning mistake that made a normal statement funnier than it had any right to be.

The lesson here is that sometimes you have to roll with it. As a brand, interactivity matters, and embracing an honest mistake not only humanizes your presence, but encourages fans to interact more.

Embrace Unexpected Creativity

At Imagine It Studios, we’re the kind of team that is fueled by our sense of humor. While we always avoid typos (thanks to our amazing editor, Mike) we also know how to think quickly on our feet when things start rolling. The Internet is about creativity, and sometimes that creativity comes from unexpected places. If you want to learn more about what we can create for you, let us know.