Mortein apologises and pulls Louie the Fly ‘tribute’ post to murdered Stephanie Scott
Fly spray brand Mortein has pulled a Facebook post which showed its mascot, Louie the fly, voicing his sympathy for murdered schoolteacher Stephanie Scott.
The post depicted Louie in front of purple vest hanging outside a wardrobe as the company looked to join the #putoutyourdress hashtag movement started on social media.
While drawing largely positive comments on its Facebook page, the image also attracted complaints that Mortein was exploiting a social media movement in order to sell its product. Mortein later took the post down and issued an apology.
Another post which showed Louie posing with the late Richie Benaud with the words: “RIP #Richie Benaud old mate. You were truly marvellous” was also removed.
A spokesperson said of the #putoutyourdress post: “Mortein would like to sincerely apologise to anyone who has taken offence to the post on our Facebook page today. A majority of our audience responded favourably but in hindsight it is not a conversation we should have engaged in. We have removed the post.”
The posts have reopened the debate on where and when brands should enter conversations with social media experts warning brands to carefully select how they engage with audiences to avoid a consumer backlash.
Nicola Swankie, managing director of communications agency Society, said joining conversations is good business practice provided brands add a relevant voice to the topic.
“Brands are always looking for topical events to say something about, so they can jump on that wave,” she told Mumbrella. “They are looking to build their brand, get more reach and leverage social media to hit more eyeballs.
“That’s fine when it’s something positive, such as the movement around the Sydney Seige (#Illridewithyou hashtag) which was showing support for a community. But when it’s something extremely sensitive that could be seen as taking advantage of someone’s terrible tragedy for their own benefit then it can backfire.
“That seems to have been the case here.”
Swankie said brands need to ask themselves who they are, what they do and what values they represent before deciding which social conversations to enter.
There needs to be relevance between the brand and issue they are commenting on and add some value to the conversation, she added. The relevance between a fly spray brand and a social movement concerning the murder of a schoolteacher is not obviously apparent, Swankie said.
The fact that a cartoon fly is commenting on such a tragic event comes across as “flippant”, she added.
“Brands such as Samsung and the Commonwealth Bank have dealt with serious backlashes and got through the storm and learnt,” Swankie said.
Some of the reaction on Mortein’s Facebook page.
Why did they think they had the right to enter this conversation in the first place? A product which is inherently linked to killing things, showing sympathy to someone who was brutally murdered.
A social media strategy is not simply jumping in on any hot topic of the time and giving a branded spin on it. That is called chasing cheap likes, shares, and ‘engagement’ so that you can have a strong quarterly report for the client.
Speak when and where you have authority to contribute. Otherwise be quiet.
User ID not verified.
I laughed out loud at this. Seriously, how easy must it be to get a job as a social media expert!
User ID not verified.
That Tom guy is good. Also,Louie bad.
User ID not verified.
Unless, she had a link to the company, this is poor taste
User ID not verified.
It really shouldn’t have to take hindsight to understand that using your cartoon character led brand to comment on a horrible murder is opportunistic and in poor taste. Just don’t.
User ID not verified.
I wonder who thought this was a good idea in the first place?
User ID not verified.
Putting the inappropriateness of the brand aside, if you’re a brand that is going to support a grass roots movement, do something tangible and contribute don’t just commentate. Per the Facebook user in the screenshot above this has been exploited for likes and nothing more and I suspect upper management understood that hence its removal.
User ID not verified.
Honestly, how does the person who suggests this not get fired? Let alone, the team approving it and publishing it if part of their process.
It’s just baffling how a brand would want to try and engage with a hashtag based around an extremely recent murder. My god.
User ID not verified.
What appallingly bad judgement.
This is what happens when brands engage agencies run by adolescents, not mature adults who can see the consequences of actions.
Underdeveloped frontal lobe stuff.
User ID not verified.
Wow. Awful. Such poor taste
User ID not verified.
I have already commented at Tim’s earlier piece about not understanding why a brand would intrude into the grief of a murdered woman’s family (and by extension that of a small tight-knit community). Really weird and tacky.
But for me the Louis the fly tribute to Richie Benaud is OK – here is one Aussie “household” icon of more than half a century of longevity, paying tribute to another.
My thinking, there is a WORLD of difference between a man of advanced years, who has lived a full, seemingly happy, and certainly extraordinary life, who died peacefully in his sleep, compared with the horrific, violent and senseless murder of a much loved young woman on the threshold of marriage, and presumably a family of her own.
User ID not verified.
Says more about the social media followers who’s responses showed they considered this ‘touching’, or more absurd, actually sunk to directly talking to ‘Louie’.
Recalls wise old adage ‘Bad taste sells’.
User ID not verified.
Fire all of them. Now. No second chances – they should be scanning groceries at a checkout.
User ID not verified.
Luckily for flies they only live for a few weeks and die. Louie on the other hand would have people prepared to hunt him down and throw him off the bridge. I of the worst examples I have seen in a long time and heads should roll.
User ID not verified.