Between Breakfast and Dicky's

Recently the California Milk Processor Board and its advertising agency, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners launched a campaign declaring that “milk can help reduce the symptoms of PMS.” After a flood of negative social media attention, the campaign was cut short and its micro site everythingidoiswrong.org replaced with http://gotdiscussion.org/#/. Ironically, this ‘negative’ response and subsequent heated debate has provided the company with the necessary fuel to launch a social media campaign of their own.



As we have witnessed the evolution of social media campaigns through many acts of trial and error (for example, Nestlé’s attempt to control the conversation on Facebook and delete comments in response to a Greenpeace campaign against the company), it will be interesting to watch as this campaign and the debate which surrounds it unfolds, providing valuable lessons and posing new questions to communication professionals in the development of (social media) campaigns.

While some see the reaction to the campaign as demonstrative of the pitfalls of social media, it is worth taking note of how the campaign quickly switched gears to maintain its share of voice in the ensuing conversation. By creating a designated space for an engaging and transparent debate the campaign has managed to not only keep up the milk discussion, but increase its volume. This raises an interesting question as to whether this was really such a negative response after all.

As we all know by now, the conversation will happen with or without you, so why not take part?

By: Jessica Scheerder