By Ann Marie van den Hurk
When Honey Maid released an ad touting their #thisiswholesome campaign in mid-March 2014, they joined other brands such as Cheerios and Chevrolet in showing the diversity of American families today.
They also joined those brands in having to manage a social media crisis.
These brands are reflecting the changing face of American families.
Families which no longer resemble the ideal put forth in Norman Rockwell's Thanksgiving paintings.
In a New York Times article from the fall of 2013, it was pointed out that, "Families are more ethnically, racially, religiously and stylistically diverse than half a generation ago — than even half a year ago."
Social Media Crisis: The Modern Family
These inclusive ads showing bi-racial, same-sex, tattooed, and military parents with their children have caused negative feedback on social media from vocal minorities.
One group called for a letter writing campaign against the graham cracker maker.
Instead of retreating and apologizing, Honey Maid stood by their inclusive commercial.
And they created a response to those critical of their #thisiswholesome ad:
Why Was Their Response so Good?
Honey Maid's response can help your organization deal with a social media crisis.
It’s OK for brands to not fall over themselves caving to the critics. And Honey Maid wasn't taking sides in the culture wars like some implied.
What Honey Maid did right:
Know your customer! In that ad, Honey Maid is speaking to their consumers. The ad reflects the make-up of families today – the people who buy Honey Maid crackers as snacks for their kid's lunch boxes and for S'Mores around the campfire.
Listen to online conversations. Honey Maid was monitoring their online presence. A great response begins with great listening. You need to be monitoring the online space for conversations about your organization and your industry. There are platforms to help you do that, many are free, others very affordable.
Be mindful of tone when responding. Honey Maid was creative and sincere with their response to critics. How you respond is important. Never respond to a social media crisis in a dismissive or impolite manner, or you will only add fuel to the fire. Don't allow yourself to give knee-jerk responses.
While you can't be loved by everyone all of the time, you can control how you respond to the situation, often gaining more supporters and customers in the long run.
S'mores, anyone?
Image credit: AmericanSweets.co.uk
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