Luke Ryan, from the agency WeAreSocial, about what he calls #campaignhashtags, those hashtags pushed by brands everywhere that consumers never use:

#campaignhashtags fail because they are completely forgetting where social begins – with the audience. Attempting to start a social conversation with a hashtag that is not linked to a larger social behaviour already taking place is like heading to the casino, putting all your chips on one number at the roulette table and expecting to win. It is up to brands to understand the conversations already occurring and be relevant in this pre-existing context. The whole notion of social media marketing is there is already a conversation taking place, not to force one.

Yes!

Luke Ryan goes on by giving advice on how to find the right hashtag in his article. Great advice!