Author: Alex Slater / Source: Entrepreneur By now, you might have read about (or seen) the Honey Nut Cheerios campaign to save the honey
By now, you might have read about (or seen) the Honey Nut Cheerios campaign to save the honey bee — a clever marketing stunt that recently burst into the spotlight, although likely not in the way General Mills, the parent company, would have hoped.
Quick recap for those who don’t have a thumb to the beat of the cereal industry: amidst its seventh straight quarterly decline in sales, and in an attempt to raise awareness of the honeybee’s critical role as a pollinator of many of the world’s most important crops, General Mills decided to strip the Honey Nut Cheerio box of its famous mascot, BuzzBee. But they didn’t stop there; in addition to liberating BuzzBee from his duties, General Mills partnered with Canadian company Veseys Seeds Ltd. to distribute nearly 1.5 billion wildflower seeds to people across the country. Plant more flowers, and you increase the natural pollination habitat for the struggling species — or so the theory goes.
Not long after they announced the campaign, General Mills came under fire from ecologists who claimed the seeds — some of which are banned in certain states and regions because they are considered invasive — could pose a significant threat if they were introduced outside their native range.
Analyzing the Response
In response to mounting pressure from both digital outlets and individuals on social media, General Mills focused its response on Facebook and Twitter audiences. The company developed a set of three slight variations of reactive messages designed to address concerns and discourage further interrogation.
Social media has changed the landscape of crisis communication, especially for brands and personalities. Where it used to be possible to delay a report or work on background with a reporter to limit blowback, consumers now demand answers instantly and keep up those demands around the clock. Their questions and accusations can spread both fact and fiction at…
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