Marketing a Disaster

                                                           (via History Channel)

I would put Titanic on my top 10 list of favorite movies. I still remember my Titanic-themed birthday party when the movie came out and a trip to the Museum of Science and Industry to see the exhibit. With 2012 marking 100 years since the ship sank, I was curious as to how the event was to be commemorated. As someone in public relations, I'm simply intrigued.

The Titanic represented hope, change and new beginnings, but ended in disaster. You certainly can't overlook the factors that played a role in the event. First of all, socioeconomic status was a big deal in 1912 and that affected your status on the ship such as where you stayed, what you ate and what you were allowed to do on the journey. It meant the difference between life and death. Over 1,500 people lost their lives on the "unsinkable" ship, which also leaves room to question technology and human error.  How do you market that?

Aside from the 1997 movie being released in 3D this April (I plan on being in attendance), Twitter is playing a role as well. In honor of the100th anniversary, @TitanicRealTime will recreate the voyage, offering tweets from various ship members including crew, engineers, captain and class members. The tweets started March 10, a month before the Titanic sets sail in April, and give us a look into the excitement and hype that was built around the great ship. Tags in each tweet reference who is speaking. Note that the #photographer tweets include photos of the ship from 1912.

Whether there will be minute-by-minute tweets of the events leading up to the sinking or the tragedy itself is unclear, but I love the overall concept of garnering different viewpoints. It shows what people of the time were thinking, and it's a neat way to learn about the past. Using current technology (a.k.a. social media) to reflect and remember the past is a creative way to link today's social media users with history. Who knew Twitter could have some sort of historical + learning function?

Some example tweets include the following:

• #captain Exactly a month now before Titanic's journey begins, I cannot wait to see her completed and on the ocean!
• #crew The capacity of the lifeboats is somewhat a concern, only 1,178. If anything were to happen there won't be enough space...
• #crew The extent of Titanic's rigging is staggering, lots more still to be done before launch.
• #firstclass With my ticket came a booklet detailing the voyage, the facilities and the various diversions on board, I feel very well informed.
• #firstclass I simply cannot wait to try the food, all the reports suggest it will be delicious.

How would you handle marketing a sad part of history? What do you think of Twitter's role in marking the anniversary?