Every once in awhile, we at Kovak-Likly see a PR campaign which has us scratching our heads, wondering, “How many approval meetings were there before this got the green light?”
Such is the case with a recent social media campaign launched by McDonald’s, entitled “Our Food. Your Questions.” Rolled out as part of a multi-pronged campaign cycle which included simplified menus, custom ordering options and mobile services, OFYQ was intended to address misinformed – and sometimes bizarre – rumors about their food.
It seemed like a good idea at the time…
In an effort to attract the much sought after Millennial demographic and reinforce their current customer base, McDonald’s took to online channels, answering questions ranging from “Why doesn’t your food rot?” to “Do you use ‘pink slime’ in your chicken McNuggets?”
To reinforce the campaign, the restaurant chain – which reported a significant drop in net profit over the third quarter – enlisted the help of former Discovery Channel “Myth Busters” host Grant Imahara, who was featured in promotional videos uncovering “real answers to tough questions” about McDonald’s food and production practices.
Survey data quoted in a recent Reuters.com article show that overall, though the campaign may have slightly lifted quality perception, it seems to have missed the mark with the restaurant’s key demographic, frequent fast-food eaters.
But also introduced a cringe factor…
Add to that a certain backfire component to what was supposed to be a social media exercise in transparency.
What if we didn’t even know that there were rumors of pink slime? Now we sure do. And believe me, that’s a visual that will stick the next time one of our kids is munching a McNugget. The food doesn’t rot? It never occurred to me to test that concept. Now I’m curious.
The problem with trying to be hip and direct by addressing rumors is that you risk making a new group of current and potential customers aware of those rumors for the first time. While some may feel reassured by McDonald’s approach, others may very well be turned off.
It’s important to look at a PR plan from all angles before jumping in full steam. Sometimes that requires an outside viewpoint, such as is offered by our specialists at Kovak-Likly. If you are ready to make a bold move, and could benefit from our expertise to strategize it for optimum outcome, we would love to work with you. Give us a call at 203.762.8833.
– BML
