It was a simple question ; what are you going to buy your mum this Mother 's Day ? Unfortunately , Penguin Books UK decided to pose it to Twitter users alongside the hashtag # yourmum . The publishing company had intended to inspire people to tweet in the names of books that their mother would like to receive as a present , and then recommend a few gift ideas , in the hope of getting the hashtag to trend . But it seems all they have inspired is a slew of childish 'your mum ' jokes instead - the go-to insult in school playgrounds across the world - and the hashtag was soon hijacked by amused Twitter users . Penguin Books UK has sparked the mirth of Twitter users , by trying to kick start the hashtag # yourmum . The publishing company had intended to inspire people to tweet in books that their mother would like to receive as a present . Richard James wrote : 'So @ PenguinUKBooks is using the hashtag # YourMum every lunchtime to promote Mother 's Day . What could possible go wrong with a Your Mum tag ? ' Jess Brammar ‏added : 'Whoever came up with @ PenguinUKBooks # YourMum hashtag definitely did n't go to my school , where it was the response to most insults ' Rachel Millington tweeted : 'The best thing about @ PenguinUKBooks # YourMum campaign ? They 're doing it EVERY LUNCHTIME this week . Just like , you know , # YourMum ' The original newsletter said : 'It 's safe to say that after many decades spent building a formidable and varied library , no one knows books quite like us – and as Mother 's Day approaches , we can be sure that no one knows your mum quite like you . 'Together we make a lean , mean , book-gifting machine . Whether she 's a keen cook , a gallery-hopper or a nature-wanderer , together we 'll find the perfect read to delight your mum this Mother 's day . ' It is not the first time social media campaigns have provoked hilarity online . But it seems all they have inspired is a slew of childish 'your mum ' jokes instead - the go to insult of playgrounds across the world - and the hashtag was soon hijacked by amused Twitter users . Singer Susan Boyle 's PR team were left red-faced after tweeting a promotion for her new album with a 'hashtag ' featuring a rude double entendre . To promote the star 's new album Standing Ovation , an out-of-hour social media team used her official Twitter account @ SusanBoyleHQ to send a tweet ending in a 'hashtag ' , where key words are joined together and preceded by a hash sign . The hashtag read # susanalbumparty . When McDonald 's launched # McDStories , in order to glean 'good news stories ' about the chain , they were inundated instead with tales of food mishaps . Some have suggested the # yourmum campaign is simply a savvy marketing stunt . But it seems Penguin is still pleading innocence after tweeting : 'Thanks for pointing our # YourMum has an alternative meaning you guys ! Now back to the books ... ' And Airline Qantas won the PR disaster of the year when it tried to kick start the promotional hashtag # QantasLuxury while thousands of passengers were stranded overseas . Some have suggested the # yourmum campaign is simply a savvy marketing stunt . Martin Belam wrote : 'Somewhere a social media marketing guru is already writing a thinkpiece on how # YourMum turned out to be the campaign of the year . ' But it seems Penguin is still pleading innocence after tweeting : 'Thanks for pointing our # YourMum has an alternative meaning you guys ! Now back to the books ... '
The publishing company had intended to inspire people to tweet in books that their mother would like to receive as a present . But it seems all they have inspired is a slew of childish 'your mum ' jokes . 'Your mum ' is the go to insult in playgrounds across the world . Hashtag was soon trending for different reason , hijacked by Twitter users .