July 6 update: Just an update that Entenmann's also put its donut (errrr foot) in its mouth by Tweeting about Casey Anthony. 

To be honest I'm not sure which was lamer, the Tweet or the apology claiming not to know why #NotGuilty was trending. 

Read up on the Entenmann's botch here.

(A side note, Entenmann's chocolate donuts have got to be my favorite thing in the world, and that's been passed down to my kids. My nanny used to bring them to me whenever I was sick. Why did you have to do me like this, Entenmann's?)

July 5: So some of you may have heard that there was that whole Casey Anthony verdict thing today.

While I don't really care about that all too much, the phenomenon did present a teaching opportunity.

While checking my Facebook feed around 2 p.m. I noticed that a Kentucky-based chain of convenience stores with more than 10K Facebook fans posted "Casey Anthony verdict is coming at 2:15."

What followed was several comments from fans surprised that this fan page would post this information. And they were correct in voicing their surprise. Ten minutes later the post was taken down. 

Let this serve as a reminder to all of us that rule No. 1 in managing a brand is knowing what your brand's voice and messaging is and sticking to that. Just because there's a national spectacle like Casey Anthony ongoing doesn't mean you have to jump on that bandwagon. What if the OJ Simpson trial had occurred during the Facebook era? Would I expect the fan page of my local coffee shop to post the verdict? Surely not. 

If you want to have credibility with your fan base then stick to what you know and who you are. 

Thoughts?