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Subway’s Discrimination Problem: A Good Case for Updated Brand Guidelines

February 19, 2013 By 2 Comments

Screen shot 2013-02-18 at 4.56.45 PMOne of the greatest concerns of franchise business models is how trouble caused by one owner/operator can damage other locations nearby or the brand image as a whole.

Subway saw this over the Valentine’s Day weekend when the owner of a Subway shop in Angers, France decided – on his own – to discriminate against same sex couples when he launched a Valentine’s Day special available only to straights.

Citing the current status of gay marriage in France, the franchise owner defended his actions and invoked his freedom of expression in a note beneath the sandwich deal.

“Discrimination: No, the marriage for all law has advanced, but has yet to be ratified by the Senate. Until then, I’ll use my freedom of expression.” (Click over to French-language website Eteignez Votre Ordinateur to view images of the poster.)

According to French newspaper the Liberation, Subway’s corporate offices intervened after photos of the offer were widely circulated on social media, and the restaurant was swiftly closed Friday. In a statement released the same day, Subway France apologized and noted that franchise locations are managed independently. Following an influx of negative comments, Subway France also successfully took to Twitter to address concerns and apologized for the discriminatory special in a post on its Facebook page Saturday morning, writing:

The SUBWAY brand is strongly committed to maintaining the values ​​of diversity and inclusiveness in its restaurants around the world and does not endorse in any discrimination of any kind.We apologize to all those people who felt offended by the individual promotional initiative for Valentine’s Day of a restaurant in Angers, France.

Unfortunately, the discrimination of one owner impacted other owner/operators in France. Angers-area Subway restaurant also felt the blowback despite having nothing to do with the offense, French-language publication Ouest-France reports. Following an influx of “hateful and virulent” comments, the franchise location was forced to close its Facebook page and issue a press release, denouncing any association with the other Angers Subway that offered the heterosexuals-only deal.

While France is on its way to legalizing gay marriage, following the passage of the bill in the National Assembly Tuesday, the legislation must also be ratified by the Senate before the law can take effect. The marriage for all bill, which was first introduced in October, will go before the upper house of French Parliament on April 2, and is expected to pass.

This marks yet another example of why brands – especially franchise models – need clear social media and brand guidelines for all their owner/operators. While it is necessary to give  some promotional leeway so operators can engage in community-specific programs and tailor their marketing efforts to their location, everything the individual operators do impacts the brand as a whole. So, if you haven’t updated your branding, marketing and social media guidelines to fit current trends, tools, tactics, risks and the changing zeitgeist, you may want to do so.

Filed Under: Consumer Products, Crisis Communications, Digital Media, Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Good PR Comes From Good Citizenship

September 20, 2012 By 1 Comment

Today’s topic is proof that good PR need not be complicated.

There is photo going around Facebook that shows a sign on the door of Plaza Cleaners in Portland, OR which reads: If you are unemployed and need an outfit cleaned for an interview, we will clean it for free. 

Call it brilliant PR. Call it a clever customer loyalty program. Call it a sign that all is not lost for humanity in this dog-eat-dog world. No matter the name, it is simplicity at its finest.

This local act of kindness has given a small, independently-owned cleaners national visibility and made them a local legend. Their Facebook fans have grown by more than 300%. Local media have spotlighted their offer. I’m all the way on the other side of this continent and I am blogging about it.

But, the best part is what a friend of mine said on Facebook when I posted the photo, “When those people get employed they will give that dry cleaner their business going forward and they’ll refer their friends to them.”

A lot of times we get lost in our big fancy ideas for community engagement, publicity stunts and loyalty programs. But the truth is, the simplest idea that makes a real, tangible difference in someone’s life is usually the best way to build brand loyalty.

Good for you Plaza Cleaners. And, thanks for restoring my faith in humanity.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Marketing, Public Relations Tagged With: , , , , ,

Romney’s #AreYouBetterOff Hashtag Backfires

September 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

There is always a big risk when you hang your promotional hat on a paid-for hashtag.

McDonald’s learned that lesson earlier this year when they asked Tweeps to share their stories to #McDStories. Negative tweets about the fast food chain took over the interwebs ranging from comments about being high while eating McDonald’s to throwing up the food, prompting the New York Observer to remark that “some stories are better left untold.”

Wendy’s fell into the same trap last year, paying for the exclusive use of #HeresTheBeef. I will just let you imagine what Tweets that hashtag prompted.

Well, it seems The Campaign to elect Governor Romney didn’t get the memo. After paying $120,000 PER DAY for the use of #AreYouBetterOff, the GOP was clearly expecting a resounding “no” from Twitterers to support their campaign message that President Obama has not improved the economy.

Instead, #areyoubetteroff was combined with the word “yes” more than 1,800 times in its first 24 hours, while it was only paired with “no” around 600 times during the same time period.

And, since then, the yes/no ratio has been an embarrassing 5 to 1.

To make matters worse for the Romney campaign, their original hashtag has already spawned rebuttal hashtags like #iambetteroff and#betteroff which, as you can imagine, are full of examples of how Americans say they are better off and how they imagine they’d be worse off under a Romney/Ryan presidency.

It’s important to remember social media is not a controlled environment. It’s the wild west and open-ended questions can really bring trouble. It’s best to think like a trial attorney when creating your hashtag strategy and never ask a question unless you absolutely know what everyone’s answer will actually be.

Filed Under: Digital Media, Marketing, PR Blunders, Public Relations, Social Media, Youth Marketing Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Wheat Thins Perfectly Integrates Social Media & Advertising

January 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I often speak with my clients about the need to unite social media activities with all other MARCOM channels. No one has done that better recently than Wheat Thins.

I was flipping channels on TV last night and caught one of those ads where the Wheat Thin people respond to tweets about their crackers that use the hashtag @CrunchIsCalling by showing up with a massive palette of Wheat Thins.

Like so many people, I assumed it was this was fake.

The ad that caught my eye last night included a tweet from @TzeoDerek that read, “@CrunchIsCalling I think the Wheat Thins commercials are uber fake.”

The result? The Wheat Thin guys tracked him down, gave him a palette of crackers and asked him to say into the camera that the ads are “uber real.”

This is brilliant. Not only did they directly address what we were all thinking. They are also letting personal interactions with customers on Twitter drive their advertising, which in turn drives more customer interaction on Twitter.

That, ladies and gents, is how you truly integrate channels.

Well done, Kraft and Wheat Thins. You’ve actually created a campaign I’m jealous I wasn’t a part of!

 

 

Filed Under: Digital Media, Marketing, Mobile Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media, Viral Marketing, Youth Marketing Tagged With: , , , ,

Integrating Social Media Tools for Crisis and Emergency Communications

September 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Last week, I gave a webinar with a super cool company called Preparis on how to integrate social media tools into emergency preparedness planning (i.e. workplace or campus violence, hurricanes/tornadoes, fires, information security breaches and more). 

In light of the horrible shooting on the UT campus yesterday and how the university kept students safe through planned text alerts and social media sites, I wanted to share the link with you all so you may start planning employee/student and partner/public communications now – before a crisis hits.

And, while I don’t usually use this blog to “pimp” my own services, this is such a critical issue – not just in terms of limited business disruptions and corporate brand perceptions – but also regarding the safety of your employees and students, I do want to mention that Porter Novelli and Preparis have productized packages to help you prepare to protect your workforce now.

Filed Under: Crisis Communications, Mobile Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media Tagged With: , , , , ,
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