Overview
#AskJPM was a promotional hashtag launched by the American multinational banking company J. P. Morgan to provide college students an opportunity to communicate directly with a senior executive in November 2013. However, upon its launch, the hashtag was immediately hijacked by Twitter users criticizing and mocking the company for its alleged unethical business practices.
Background
On November 6th, 2013, the official J.P. Morgan Twitter feed announced that it would be hosting a live Q&A session with Vice Chairman Jimmy Lee on November 14th:
It’s a #TwitterTakeover: We'll host our 1st live Q&A on leadership & career advice w/a leading $JPM exec on 11/14. Use #AskJPM to submit a Q
— J.P. Morgan (@jpmorgan) November 6, 2013
Hashtag Hijacked
On November 11th, Twitter users began asking humorous and critical questions using the #AskJMP hashtag, many of which accused the company of being greedy and participating in unethical business practices.
jpmorgan</a> Is it true "JPM stands for "Just Pay More"? <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23AskJPM&src=hash">#AskJPM</a> ;)</p>— Timothy Connolly CFA (SconsetCapital) November 11, 2013
#AskJPM What is the maximum amount of material wealth that a person can accumulate and still be allowed into Heaven?
— amusebarf (@amusebarf) November 11, 2013
Anyone thinking of doing #AskJPM might want to familiarise themselves with Jamie Dimon's rap sheet: http://t.co/RiFonxiP9q
— Jack Lord (@jacklord) November 11, 2013
Notable Developments
Q&A Canceled
On November 13th, the @jpmorgan Twitter feed announced that the Q&A had been cancelled and was a “bad idea.” In the first 48 hours, the tweet received upwards of 1,400 retweets and 680 favorites.
Tomorrow's Q&A is cancelled. Bad Idea. Back to the drawing board.
— J.P. Morgan (@jpmorgan) November 14, 2013
Following the cancellation, Twitter users began using the #AskJPM hashtag with more frequency. According to the Twitter analytics site Topsy,[1] tweets containing the #AskJPM hashtag peaked on November 13th with over 27,700 mentions (shown below).
News Media Coverage
On November 13th, several news sites published articles about the hashtag backlash, including the New York Post,[2] the New York Times Dealbook blog,[3] The Huffington Post,[4] Business Insider[5] and The Wall Street Journal.[6] On November 14th, several notable tweets were read aloud by host Stacy Keach on the CNBC true crime television program American Greed (shown below).
Notable Examples
In the coming days, compilations of notable example tweets using the #AskJPM hashtag were posted on several business news sites, including ZDNet,[7] The Street[8] and Marketplace.[9]
Did you always want to be part of a vast, corrupt criminal enterprise or did you "break bad"? #AskJPM
— Kevin Murphy (@kcm74) November 13, 2013
Is the fact that you've paid over half a billion in fines since August a source or pride, or are you embarrassed it's not higher? #AskJPM
— alexis goldstein (@alexisgoldstein) November 13, 2013
What's it like working with Mexican drug cartels? Do they tip? #AskJPM
— David Dayen (@ddayen) November 13, 2013
Would you rather negotiate with 1 horse-sized Eric Holder, or 100 duck-sized Eric Holders? #AskJPM
— Kevin Roose (@kevinroose) November 13, 2013
Search Interest
External References
[2]New York Post – AskJPM twitter move went wrong
[3]New York Times – Twitter #Fail
[4]The Huffington Post – JP Morgans #AskJPM Twitter Q&A
[5]Business Insider – JPMorgan Is Taking Questions From Twitter And Getting Thoroughly Trolled
[6]Wall Street Journal – Now JP Morgan Winds Up in Twitter Turmoil
[7]ZDNet – JP Morgans failed #AskJPM
[8]The Street – 5 Great #AskJPM Tweets
[9]Marketplace – Funniest #AskJPM tweets reveal pitfalls of social media