'Pancakes on fleek': Twitter account skewers brands trying to sound cool

"It is straight-up someone's job to make a sandwich shop seem more likeable. People used to be blacksmiths."

That is just one of the hilarious, eviscerating criticisms of social media advertising summed up by a new Twitter account making waves in the industry.

The account @BrandsSayingBae was launched over the weekend. It has been showcasing examples of advertisers such as Sour Patch Kids, Olive Garden, and Hamburger Helper trying just a little too hard to sound cool when their messages pop up among things people actually want to read on Twitter.

The name of the account is inspired by brands' clunky use of slang. The word "bae" is most prominently heard in the Pharrell song (feat. Miley Cyrus) "Come Get It Bae." It's often used as a term of endearment (think short for "baby") but can also be used as a compliment, a general word meaning, essentially, "good," or "cool" – a word immediately stripped of its coolness when placed between quotation marks and has its definition explained at length. But I digress.

Far too many brands, trying to sound "hip" and "with it" like the kids, are using this kind of language to attempt to make their presence in social media seem more natural and fun, and less like an interruption designed to forcibly weld the brand image into people's minds. They are doing this despite the fact that this kind of rapid, casual communication can be a minefield, leading to slip-ups – and despite the fact that many people don't want this kind of faked friendship with an advertiser.

@BrandsSayingBae is a welcome parody of this kind of activity. Go home, Wal-Mart. You're embarrassing yourselves.