by Rob McLaren, Insights
A faulty software update that crashed millions of computers worldwide. A fried chicken chain running out of chicken. A lorry full of KitKats being stolen in an elaborate heist.
What do each of these events have in common? All are examples of brands suffering seemingly catastrophic events – each certain to cause major disruption to sales – and embracing the chaos, through a self-mocking social media presence and tongue-in-cheek marketing, ultimately coming out the other side a stronger brand overall.
In the former’s case, cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike leaned into the event by publicly accepting an award for ‘Most Epic Fail’, akin to Hollywood’s elite showing up for a Golden Raspberry for their own performance. Less than two years later, the brand recently announced having experienced its ‘best year ever’.
Back in 2018, KFC UK’s chicken crisis prompted the brand to rearrange the letters on its logo, one letter short of an obscenity, reaching a combined audience of more than a billion. And in KitKat’s case, its own unfortunate event led the brand to create a ‘stolen KitKat tracker’, generating some $224m in earned media in just ten days.
Humour has always been a key asset in the marketer’s toolkit, with brands ranging from Ginsters to Current Account Switch Service having long since mastered the art. But in the social media age, where ordinary people can reach millions within minutes through a viral post, its role is evolving.
As brand marketing shifts from a one-to-many to a many-to-many relationship, fuelled by an army of content creators and memes waiting to pounce on a viral trend, brands can no longer control the narrative around a crisis – many instead choose to encourage and amplify fans to make fun of it.
This is evident from the replies to KitKat’s official statement regarding the chocolate theft. Through the power of AI image generation, users came armed with a litany of Breaking Bad, Scarface, and Willy Wonka-themed memes. The result was that a potential PR catastrophe immediately became a global sensation, providing millions in earned reach.
Of course, such an offbeat crisis management strategy will not work for all brands, and there are examples of brands that have missed the mark. If an event is likely to have created harm, it is not the best fit for a self-mocking apology.
Yet humour remains a powerful tool for companies, helping forge relationships with consumers seeking light relief in trying times. Brands looking to lean into humour should be playful, experimental and, above all, hand over control of the narrative to their audiences.
