A good chunk of the people I follow on
twitter are comedians. More often than not, especially sarcastic tweets are
faced with backlash, but if you’re a celebrity or prominent twitter figure (or
brand!), your public feuds can get blown out of proportion and entirely public
to anyone with a wifi connection.
Last week, Honda started series of “fun” twitter feuds with prominent snack brands, many of which responded with snarky replies.
Hey @BurgerKing, we'll be #Satisfried when we've vacuumed every one of you off our floors. - Odyssey with available HondaVAC
— Honda (@Honda) October 1, 2013
Dear @TacoBell crumbs, if you fall on my floor, you will be no mas. Yours truly, The Honda Odyssey Touring Elite with Built-in HondaVAC.
— Honda (@Honda) October 1, 2013
@Honda Your vacuum cleaner sucks. No, really.
— Taco Bell (@TacoBell) October 1, 2013
The feuds were started to promote the new
in-car vacuum for the Honda Odyssey, and accompanied a series of TV spots,
which featured actors Rainn Wilson and Neil Patrick Harris voicing snacks and
other small forgottens on the floor of a Honda about to be vacuumed. Despite being
“the first of its kind,” you have to admit that a mini-van with an in-car
vacuum is nothing worth jump up and down about.
But here’s why I think Honda’s marketing
efforts are so exceptionally smart: The parents of today are pretty hip, but
they’re not as interested in cars as their parents used to be, let alone
mini-vans. Millenial parents don’t have the same financial security as their
parents did, are more open about alternative transportation, and are simply
less excited about owning a car.
Honda understands this and have used creative mediums to reach Millenial parents:
By leveraging the power of all these big food and snack brands, Honda created an interactive and social ecosystem around a product you wouldn't expect to be talking about. What are your thoughts?
Honda understands this and have used creative mediums to reach Millenial parents:
- The recognizable voices of Rainn Wilson and NPH are worth paying attention to. Just as when The Office’s John Krasinski narrated esurance’s ad which took a jab at Geiko customers for “trusting animal characters,” these hilarious men of primetime are young parents themselves (both IRL and on TV) and are recognized as trustworthy poster dads for the parents of today.
- Twitter feuds are something you jump at. Whether it’s your “No spoilers!” friend who thinks the entirety of the Internet is under his authority, or some celebrity getting mad at another celebrity, you can’t help but follow the conversation. Yes, the Honda vs. Snacks “feuds” aren’t real, but a corporate twitter account with an inkling of a personality is refreshing isn't it?
By leveraging the power of all these big food and snack brands, Honda created an interactive and social ecosystem around a product you wouldn't expect to be talking about. What are your thoughts?