Louie The Lie
Have you ever noticed that when a brand uses social media to treat its customers like a bunch of chumps, it ends up regretting it?
The latest example is, of course, Mortein’s now backfiring death of Louie The Fly stunt.
From the moment the brand issued a press release from marketing director Chris Tedesco announcing: “It was a hard decision, but Mortein has decided to kill off Louie The Fly once and for all,” the whole thing smelled as bad as Louie’s favourite garbage pile.
For starters, it’s unusual for brands to have a press release ready to send out 37 minutes into the next working day after news has broken of them killing off their mascot, unless it was already written.
Even more so, when you’ve just started a Facebook page for that very same mascot.
But let’s give them the benefit of the doubt. Let’s assume, just for a moment, that the announcement was a sincere one. And that the marketing team has been genuinely shocked by the public wave of support for Louie.
Kind of makes them incompetent idiots not to understand their brand, doesn’t it? Would you give a job to anybody who would so casually kill of half a century of brand equity without having done any basic research?
Surely you’d have to be the world’s worst marketing director?
But the other assumption, of course, is that when Tedesco allowed the statement announcing Louie’s death to go out in his name – and remember, he used the phrase “once and for all” – he was lying.
In which case the brand seems to have assumed a pretty dopey public will follow the script – and sadly, there are plenty of them on the Louie The Fly facebook page who have – and get upset about Louie’s death.
And that the media will lap up the story.
Which they did – until the weekend at least.
The media has now woken up to the fact that it looks like they were hoaxed. Funnily enough, they tend not to have much of a sense of humour about being made to look like idiots.
I suspect that the rest of the story will not now be the planned one of Mortein rescuing Louie.
And I’m particularly thinking of The Sun-Herald’s Rachel Browne, who was credulous enough to write the original story. I suspect that the next tip that arrives at Fairfax Media from the Red Agency may be treated with a degree more cynicism.
But more damaging for the brand will be the members of the public who now feel, to use former Euro RSCG ECD Rowan Dean’s words, “deliberately duped”.
You’d think that a company like Reckitt Benckiser, with its household-focused brands, would value consumer trust.
But I’m not so sure. You see, the brand’s got previous. It’s only a couple of months since the same team brought us the Napisan stunt to offer $25m to sponsor the White House.
There was a cynicism at the heart of that one too. I suspect the reason why it failed to get PR traction was because the central purpose was obviously never sincere.
http://youtu.be/VZ6UyQ0GTPY
Update: Red Agency tells me there was far more coverage of the White House stunt than I’ve been able to find on Google News, including:
PR reach of 11 million people in Australia
87% share of voice versus major competitors
150 minutes earned media on radio in Australia
72 media items across Australia in 2 months. Norm is 5.
A further 140 media items globally
2 x 6 minute segments on National US TV
Social media reach of over 600,000
Ironically, the backlash does now have the potential to damage the standing of the Louie the Fly mascot. Wouldn’t it be ironic if they have to kill him off?
Tim Burrowes
[SURVEYS 20]
(Please note that the purpose of this survey is for satire only. It should be treated with as much weight as Mortein’s public poll of whether to save Louie)
Need a “c” option. All of the above.
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Why always so cynical Mumbrella? You need another poll option for great idea. For all anyone knows who is not part of either Mortein or Euro or Red this is a real campaign but you claim it is a hoax.
Though with you headline and tone watch the social media experts come out in force and try to lambast this for not being authentic. Pfffft while I am all for authenticity and truth in social media when it customer service, product information and corporate relations this looks like the start of the entertaining marketing campaign in a low interest category with a fictional brand ambassador. Relax with the social media expert pitchforks and enjoy it people.
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Storm, meet teacup. You two play nicely now.
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copy cat advertising at it’s worst?
We’ve seen this campaign work in a genuine way for Cadbury’s Wispa in the UK. Public backlash is something not to be underestimated and you can’t shout down the marketers that attempt to encapsulate this.
The ideas behind this stunt – and lets not pretend it’s anything but, were good, but was executed in a poor way.
My bigger concern is how alike this is to other campaigns; just because something worked else where, doesn’t mean it will work for you.
Give it some thought and come up with some new ideas, instead of picking a solution off the shelf
Otherwise I fear there may be more to add to ‘Australia’s 10 worst PR stunts’
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@Katie i fail to see how Tim is being cynical. He is simply being observant and calling a dumb stunt for what it was. The real cynicism comes from Chris Tedesco and the mob at Red and Mortein for treating consumers like muppets.
If you want to see social media used in an entertaining marketing campaign with a fictional ambassador in a low interest category, take a look at what ING Direct is doing with Charles the orangutan
this is just lying
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to be clear, when i say ‘ this’ i mean mortein and purporting to kill off louie the fly
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mumbrella why are you so angry?
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It’s the buzzing.