The social media dynamic is tantamount to the proverbial double-edged sword.
Consider the case of General Mills, parent company to such brands as the venerable Cheerios. Last year, the company was commended for its response to mean-spirited feedback on YouTube. Last month, it earned well-deserved criticism for behavior which sparked social media rancor.
The former laudable incident came with the debut of a Cheerios ad which gave us a slice of life in which a girl asks her mom if eating Cheerios is good for your heart. Mom replies in the affirmative. Next we see dad waking from a nap on the living room couch with a pile of Cheerios on his chest—clearly placed there by a daughter who loves him dearly.
In what amounted to a sad commentary, this touching addition to the cereal’s “Heart Healthy” campaign wasn’t well received by some because of the family it depicted—an African-American father, a white mom and a biracial child. So much bigoted vitriol surfaced on YouTube that Cheerios requested the comments section be turned off. But the negative remarks were followed by an outpouring of public support for the commercial.
Cheerios stood by the fictitious family. Camille Gibson, VP of marketing for Cheerios, said, “We felt like we were reflecting an American family.” Cheerios went on to bring back the family to star in its Super Bowl spot this year.
Fast forward to just a few weeks ago, though, and Cheerios’ parent General Mills was on the wrong side of a situation in which social media feedback played a part. General Mills sought to deny customers their right to sue or join class-action lawsuits against the company—requiring arbitration instead—once they downloaded an online coupon or participated in other General Mills offerings.
Clearly, the company tried to pull a fast one on its valued customers. Customers for the most part had no idea they were entering into a contract stripping them of the right to a day in court—a contract that took effect because they merely wanted to strike up an online relationship with a “trusted” brand.
Once this “contract” became public knowledge, the backlash was forceful, causing General Mills to relent and perhaps reflect on both the promise and peril of customer relations and social media word of mouth.
