After posting a picture featuring an Oreo cookie to its Facebook page last weekend in honor of gay pride, Kraft Foods Inc. is in the midst of both positive and negative reaction by comments to the altered image of a cookie stuffed with layers of rainbow filling headlined “June 25 | Pride” and accompanied by the caption, “Proudly support love!” according to The Chicago Tribune. For the full story, click here.
Editor’s Insight: Social media is making it increasingly challenging for businesses to evade controversy.
VendingMarketWatch has encouraged its readers to use social media for marketing, and has gone as far as to advise them that social media will become a necessary tool in their future success. VendingMarketWatch has also noted that knowing how to use social media takes research. Kraft’s experience with its posting to honor Gay Pride Month is a case in point.
Social media demands that businesses be cognizant of social issues, not just business issues. If your company deals with the public at large, you must know what the key social issues are and have some idea how to address them. It is not always possible to take a position that everyone will like. This is the reality of being in business today. 06-29-12 By Elliot Maras
