One of the things I like best about social media is that it allows brands to react very quickly to anything that might come their way. They set-up “war rooms” during major events to capture that perfect moment to jump into a conversation. Oreo’s “Dunk in the Dark” tweet was re-tweeted almost 16,000 times and shared 6,500 times, gaining them national media attention for weeks after the famed Super Bowl tweet. Arby’s Pharrell tweet was re-tweeted a jaw dropping 82,600 times and shared nearly 50,000 times. Beyond an enormous amount of well deserved, free exposure the humorous, light hearted poke, also opened up the door for a relationship between two.
Kohl’s vs. Jc Penney
Not only are brands engaging with consumers, major sporting events and celebrities, they are also using the lightening fast speed of the social space to attack each other – most of the time, in good fun.
Kohl’s was quick to respond to JC Penny’s bizarre tweets during the 2014 Super bowl when Jc Penny tried to save face by saying their strange tweets were a result of “Tweeting with Mittens.” Kohl’s responded with the following:
Bar none, Kohl’s was the winner of the real time brand wars. Find out more about the Kohl’s vs. Jc Penny Brand Wars here.
Taco Bell vs. McDonalds
This brings us to last week when Taco Bell announced their new breakfast line-up of items (which look amazingly delicious but very fattening) with a commercial of men across the country named, wait for it…. Ronald McDonald, endorsing the items. I like the concept of the ad. With sales of over $10 billion annually of the $30 billion fast food breakfast market, McDonalds is the dominant player. Why not associate yourself with the big dog?
McDonalds was quick to respond with an image on their Facebook page of Ronald petting a Chihuahua that looks an awful lot like Gidget, Taco Bell’s former mascot with the message: “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. “ They also included a link to their breakfast items – smart move!
So who do you think won the Taco Bell vs. McDonald’s Breakfast Wars? I think it’s a draw. And just for the record, yes, I do plan on trying Taco Bell’s breakfast waffle with sausage and a lot of syrup, of course.
Shameless Plug
If you’d like to hear more from Josh, Arby’s social media manager behind the Pharrell Tweet. He’ll be speaking at our Social Media Masters Summit on May 15th. Beyond wicked good timing and a quick wit, Josh built Arby’s social media following.