Viral of the week: Honda Twitter account ‘hacked’ by Skeletor in social media stunt

Dec 2, 2014 | Online advertising, Online video, Social media, Twitter marketing

Honda has faked a hack of its own Twitter account, handing the @Honda handle to Skeletor of ‘He-Man’ fame, even taking potshots at other brands, including Toyota and Burger King, with a number of humorous tweets. Twittersphere: It is I, Skeletor! Now that I have control of Honda’s account, no one is safe! Muaha! #Skeletakeover […]

Honda has faked a hack of its own Twitter account, handing the @Honda handle to Skeletor of ‘He-Man’ fame, even taking potshots at other brands, including Toyota and Burger King, with a number of humorous tweets.


In an apparent break from fighting He-Man in Eternia, the Mattel character’s latest evil plan involves using the official Honda Twitter account to post using the hashtag #Skeletakeover.
As a result, the Japanese car maker’s Twitter account featured a Skeletor avatar and background photo.
‘Skeletor’ also changed the account’s description to read: “It is I, Skeletor! Master of the Universe, Internet, and now Honda’s Twitter Account! Prepare to experience my evil in 140 characters or less!! Muahaha!!!”
The nostalgic campaign coincided with a video campaign featuring the iconic 80s villain, which references the joy of receiving one of the toys for Christmas.

The ‘hack’ even fooled websites like CarThrottle, who after being duped declared it “the best publicity stunt ever” and said Honda “wins at the Internet.”
The stunt marks a growing trend for guerrilla marketing practices. In 2014, a simple commercial featuring retro action figures is unlikely to stand out from the crowd- hence why social media stunts are a better way to reach a younger demographic.The fact that the camapign also coincided with cyber monday also helped boost visibility on a popular online shopping day.
The Twitter take over even extended to Skeletor ribbing other brands on the social network, resulting in rival Toyota sending back a playful tweet.


View some of the best tweets below:


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