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Technology Star Trek

If we did social media for... the Borg from Star Trek

By Lee Cassanell, editor

September 8, 2016 | 4 min read

The 50th anniversary of Star Trek is being celebrated today, the world over and with the latest installment of the franchise, Star Trek: Discovery, due to be unleashed in January 2017, it’s a glorious time to be a trekkie.

star trek

But putting that euphoria to one side for a moment, we really need to talk about the Borg. There have been some weird and wonderful villains over the decades but of all the threats to the Federation, it’s the Borg that seem to cause them the most bother.

First popping up in Star Trek: The Next Generation, the Borg are a collective of cybernetic organisms that travel the universe assimilating other species, but their reputation has become something of a PR problem. If you’re feared and despised by every life form in existence, you urgently require a change of tack. A reputation overhaul on social media prior to an invasion will highlight their softer side, reduce armed resistance and make assimilation sexy.

Sure they can travel across galaxies in a techno giant cube, but are they on Snapchat? Here are a few tips the Borg should take on board if they want to effectively conquer planet Earth.

smiling borg

Image matters

There’s no getting away from it, your average Borg drone is not going to win any beauty contests and although, in a fair world, looking like a pasty-faced psychopath with bits of old Sega Megadrives stuck to your face shouldn’t matter, humans are an increasingly shallow race and they don’t seem to care if their overlords are intrinsically evil, as long as they look like the kind of person they’d invite around to their grandma’s house for a cup of tea. With this in mind, only images of happy, smiling and unthreatening drones should be posted across their social channels.

resistance is futile

Evolve your brand messaging

You have to admire the phrase ‘Resistance is futile’ from a brand messaging perspective. It’s lean, memorable and worthy of a Cannes Lion nomination, but the world has changed in the 27 years since they first appeared on Star Trek and it is high time they considered a less threatening slogan. I’ve rustled up some thought-starters for the Borg to consider in their next internal brainstorm:

Be the Borg we want you to be.

Assimilation is sexy.

Embrace your inner drone.

Freedom is overrated.

Lose your mind. Find yourself.

Let us do the thinking for you.

Resistance sucks.

let me tweet that for you

Reach your target audience

If you’re aiming to conquer the Earth, the benefits of having some powerful influencers on your side are immeasurable. Sure, not every influencer is going to be keen on associating themselves with a terrifying bunch of enslaving aliens but a skilled social team will be able to convince them of the benefits of getting behind the collective. As soon as you get some of those big guns on side, come up with a campaign, an effective hashtag and sit back with a fruity cocktail as the awesome power of their social reach convinces the planet to get their Borg on.

the borg rocks

Get down with the kids

A lot of brands are utilizing Spotify on their social these days and what better way for the Borg to show they know their Skepta from their Stormzy then a few handpicked tunes to enjoy during the last, tragic hours of humanity’s existence. Enjoy.

Lee Cassanell is an editor at We Are Social

Technology Star Trek

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