Twitter flak @ TeamJG

JULIA Gillard faced a backlash after she and Labor MPs tweeted the hashtag #cashforyou to promote the School Kids Bonus.

JULIA Gillard's office yesterday faced a social media backlash after the Prime Minister and Labor MPs tweeted the hashtag #cashforyou to promote the School Kids Bonus.

"The government is using kids as a lever to try and buy their parent's vote, low act, really #cashforyou," tweeted Nicole Jensen.

"I'm worried the #cashforyou message might be too subtle and nuanced to really cut through," tweeted Geordie Guy.

Amid hundreds of comments blasting the strategy, the hashtag trended quickly across Australia.

Many users compared the campaign with previous social media failures such as Qantas's #QantasLuxury Twitter campaign, launched after it grounded its fleet late last year. "I would have thought whoever came up with #cashforyou might have remembered what happened to #qantasluxury", wrote @bleeters.

Social Media analytics firm SR7 recorded more than 2000 tweets posted on the hashtag as of 3.30pm yesterday.

Among those to join Ms Gillard in the campaign were Employment Participation Minister Kate Ellis and Mental Health Minister Mark Butler.

Ms Gillard's office, as TeamJG, tweeted: "Talking to parents & students about the Schoolkids Bonus at Marrickville West Public School #cashforyou."

Labor's social media failure came only days after Tony Abbott was the subject of Twitter ridicule for his #askTony hashtag discussion, which asked users to send him questions.