British network’s #AskFarah Twitter campaign backfires with accusations
A social media campaign involving fan-submitted questions for double Olympic champion Mo Farah has backfired and caused an uproar on Twitter (photo: British Athletics).
British network Sky Sports launched a social media campaign in support of Mo Farah that has since backfired.
Sky Sports News wanted to engage its Twitter following by doing a call out for Farah-related questions following his performance at the Rio Olympics. The questions were to be asked to Farah during an upcoming television interview.
RELATED: Exclusive interview: Jama Aden, coach of world record holder Genzebe Dibaba, explains doping arrest.
Sky Sports News tweeted out “keep your questions coming in for double Olympic champion Mo Farah using #AskFarah and we’ll ask him the best” on Wednesday. Instead of questions relating to his performance at the Olympics, many were directed towards the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
Keep your questions coming in for Double Olympic champion @Mo_Farah using #AskFarah and we'll ask him the best! pic.twitter.com/1tt2s0MztZ
— Sky Sports News HQ (@SkySportsNewsHQ) September 7, 2016
Farah trains with the Nike Oregon Project out of the Portland area. The group, specifically head coach Alberto Salazar, was in the spotlight in 2015 in a connection with performance-enhancing drugs but allegations were denied. Farah has been associated with coach Jama Aden, who was arrested for possession of EPO, a banned substance, while in Spain.
The British athlete was questioned about his relationship with Aden at the Olympics and asserted that they are not friends despite Farah having trained with Aden’s group in Ethiopia. His unclear answers only fuelled the Twitter questions recently.
Many of the tweets have been directed at Farah’s failure to answer to doping control personnel in 2012 in the leadup to the London Olympics. He claims that he didn’t hear the doorbell and missed two drug tests as a result. Other tweets highlighted how the Sky Sports hashtag backfired in terms of marketing.
#AskFarah tweets
I know I'm biased, but from a marketing perspective Sky Sports promotion #AskFarah is a hilarious lesson in marketing gone wrong…
— Steve Magness (@stevemagness) September 7, 2016
#AskFarah Do you regret #AskFarah?
— Teddy Cutler (@TeddyCutler) September 7, 2016
#AskFarah who's your favourite Star Wars character? Is it C3EPO?
— Conorh (@conh) September 7, 2016
When the @SkySportsNewsHQ team check in on the #AskFarah hashtag. pic.twitter.com/EqDwc1SjDN
— Mo's Doorbell (@MoDoorbell) September 7, 2016
Why did you lie about knowing Aden after writing about him in your autobiography? #AskFarah
— Tim Duffy (@TimDuffy1) September 7, 2016
@SkySportsNewsHQ @Mo_Farah #AskFarah does a last lap board have to be shown to you during 5K & 10K races as you can't hear bells?
— Phil Morris (@M0rr15) September 7, 2016
#AskFarah Does the pizza company still bill you when the delivery man goes to your door but you don't hear him?
— Brian Murphy (@BrianMurfie) September 7, 2016
A train leaves Chicago at 2pm travelling 70mph, another train leaves New York at 3pm travelling at 80mph.
Are you a filthy doper? #AskFarah— NoBigDealSparks (@Nobigdealsparks) September 7, 2016
The #AskFarah hashtag from Sky Sports is probably the greatest own goal in Twitter history by a broadcaster . Absolutely hilarious.
— Declanhamill (@dechamcork) September 7, 2016
Sad thing is, the majority of Twitter users are asking the questions that Sky should be asking, but probably never will. #AskFarah
— Just Sport (@JustSportZA) September 7, 2016
Do you find it weird that nearly every coach you've worked with is under a doping investigation? #askfarah https://t.co/RQengKoQ3j
— The Clear (@vayerism) September 6, 2016
The #AskFarah hashtag is going nuts, 95% of questions are about doping… https://t.co/XddPQb1DIF
— Ufe (@oufeh) September 7, 2016
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