Domino’s free pizza fail is a reminder of the dangers of viral marketing campaigns
Another week, another social media stumble. Sure, it’s Domino’s this time, but it seems that few businesses are grasping the fact that their audience will bite the hand that, in this case, is promising to feed them. Suki Harrison explores the risks of attempting to go viral.
The number of organisations and individuals who unwittingly (or recklessly) flout gaming laws and leave themselves financially vulnerable is astounding. It’s a basic principle – don’t market what you can’t deliver. Social media is alive, it’s uncontrollable, and it has teeth.
In a community sense we’re all over the issue of online vulnerability – nude selfies, bullying, scams. We mightn’t have all the answers but we take it damn seriously. So why then do businesses keep stumbling blindly into giveaways and competitions that are not only a PR nightmare, but leave them fiscally exposed?
There have been some spectacular recent fails, which suggest that organisations simply don’t get that ‘viral’ doesn’t necessarily spell good news. And more to the point, you have to be able to stand over what you say on Twitter.
Free press and the people who are upset are the people who can’t afford a pizza.
Agreed – the free press for Domino’s has been brilliant, unfortunately the same can’t be said for MAC and Sunny Co initially deleted all of their social accounts in the wake of the giveaway bungle, but have since come back stronger than ever…
Sadly I didn’t succeed in getting my free pizza either.
Affordability isn’t the issue – for the same reason that lottery winners continue to buy lottery tickets. It’s about playing the game and the lure of the freebie.
Furthermore free press isn’t helpful if it’s bad (whatever that over used saying suggests). It’s not like dominos lacks profile. All they succeeded in doing is wasting a crap load of money – comparatively small numbers satisfied v the masses thinking that it’s yet more evidence that they’re a poxy operation.
It’s true that not all press is good press, but the statistician in me would LOVE to know if pizza sales spiked that night as pizza was definitely top of mind right around dinner time…
Its funny that the concept of people being irrational is a basic building block to marketing, but sometimes viral marketers underestimate the irrationality of people.
The paragraph about people being willing to spend their time and travel to get free stuff is the obvious case in point. I can’t really believe a free lipstick is ever worth someone spending five minutes waiting in a line, let alone enough to get grumpy. But of course we know….actually there are plenty of people who will willing give hours of their time away for something free (personally, I suspect this is a symptom of not having any good hobbies).
Marketers ought to know this really….the people on social media who respond to freebies do (generalising) have plenty of spare time. Therefore plenty of time to try to follow through on your offer. Also therefore, plenty of time to complain….
Hugo, either that or marketers don’t count on irrationality working both ways – yes people queue up for your offer in the blazing sunshine or freezing cold, but they also vow never to buy your product again if they’re not one of the lucky ones. Both totally irrational responses.
You know there are some out there who make entering competitions their livelihood… they create Facebook profiles simply for entering and sharing competitions and earn enough of a living from reselling the hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of prizes they win. That’s why my number one rule is never give away an iPad. It’s the most generic prize with the broadest appeal and unlikely to attract your target demographic, but instead everyone else in between.
Either that or marketers don’t realise that irrationality goes both ways – people queue up in the blazing sun or freezing cold for hours to participate, but they also take to social media and vow never to buy the brand again if they’re not one of the lucky ones.
You know there are some competition entrants out there that make entering giveaways their hobby and even their livelihood… they make enough from reselling the hundreds and thousands of dollars worth of prizes they win that they don’t need to work. They even create Facebook profiles and emails just to enter competitions, their feed is ‘share this to win’ after ‘share this to win’ advertisements for brands that didn’t think out their strategy. That’s why my golden rule is never give away an iPad. They’re generic enough to attract everyone, regardless of whether they’re your target market, but also have high resell value making them desirable to competition careerists.
Reckon that’s bad?
I didn’t win the $51m OzLotto!
I know which I’d rather win (hint: it doesn’t contain cheese…)