SpaghettiOs tried a bit of real-time marketing on December 6th in honor of the anniversary of Pearl Harbor on December 7th. The brand Tweeted out a message of remembrance with a photo of a SpaghettiO holding an American flag. On paper, this probably sounded like a good idea. In practice, this was an epic failure.
Real-time marketing is risky. The goal is to make your brand sound relevant, but it's dangerous due to the fact you never want to make it appear like you're trying to cash in on a serious moment or a tragedy. Nothing quite says Pearl Harbor like SpaghettiOs.
How did people react when they saw this message from SpaghettiOs? Not well.
. @SpaghettiOs spaghetti o the humanity
— Erin Gloria Ryan (@morninggloria) December 7, 2013
@crushingbort @rachelmillman @SpaghettiOs Frito-Lay invites you to remember the Siege of Vicksburg w/some honey BBQ Frito FlavorTwists!
— Scut Farkus (@ADumbFlowers) December 7, 2013
@SpaghettiOs … are you serious
— Chris Sardegna (@rxcs) December 7, 2013
Uh, brand. You're doing it wrong RT @SpaghettiOs: Take a moment to remember #PearlHarbor with us. pic.twitter.com/bsfQPgNKkJ
— Shawn Reynolds (@WCL_Shawn) December 7, 2013
@BCDreyer @AliciaHendley @ksheely Since spaghetti is Italian, wouldn't their mascot actually have been aligned with the Axis powers?
— Susan Schorn (@SusanSchorn) December 7, 2013
Finally, the Tweet which might summarize this whole thing the best:
@SpaghettiOs uh oh, spaghetti o's
— Mattheim Sussroller (@suss2hyphens) December 7, 2013
Thanks to Mike Miller for sending this our way!
