Burger King Un-Friends Facebook Over 'Whopper Sacrifice' Snafu
Going Like Sixty — January 16, 2009 — Marketing
References: insidefacebook & tech.blorge
The prospect of cyber-bullying on Facebook caused the social network to disable a critical function of Burger King's Whopper Sacrifice promotion. So Burger King just scrapped the whole deal in response.
Whopper Sacrifice let Facebookers un-friend 10 people on their friends list to get a coupon for a free Burger King Whopper. Part of the promotion included a notification to the “friend†you dropped to let them know where your allegiance truly lies.
Implications - While Facebook hasn't banned the promotion outright, they have disabled the notifications, which they have stated violates their privacy laws. By significantly cutting into the kind of awareness of Burger King's promotion, they have decided it would be better for them to end the ad campaign now and soak in all the short-term publicity they can get out of this situation.
Whopper Sacrifice let Facebookers un-friend 10 people on their friends list to get a coupon for a free Burger King Whopper. Part of the promotion included a notification to the “friend†you dropped to let them know where your allegiance truly lies.
Implications - While Facebook hasn't banned the promotion outright, they have disabled the notifications, which they have stated violates their privacy laws. By significantly cutting into the kind of awareness of Burger King's promotion, they have decided it would be better for them to end the ad campaign now and soak in all the short-term publicity they can get out of this situation.
Trend Themes
1. Cyber-bullying on Facebook - Opportunity for developing innovative solutions to combat cyber-bullying on social media platforms.
2. Privacy Concerns in Promotional Campaigns - Disruptive innovation opportunity to create privacy-friendly promotional strategies that comply with platform policies.
3. Short-term Publicity Marketing - Opportunity to leverage short-term publicity tactics to create brand awareness and buzz.
Industry Implications
1. Cybersecurity - Opportunity for cybersecurity firms to develop advanced algorithms and tools to detect and prevent cyber-bullying incidents on social media.
2. Digital Marketing - Disruptive innovation opportunity for marketers to design privacy-conscious promotional campaigns that respect user privacy while still achieving marketing objectives.
3. Public Relations - Opportunity for PR professionals to capitalize on short-term publicity and viral marketing to create positive brand image and increase customer engagement.
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