Lean Mean Fighting Machine could lose Coke after Dr Pepper Facebook fiasco

 

Lean Mean Fighting Machine is in danger of losing the digital advertising accounts for Dr Pepper and Coke Zero after a Facebook status hi-jack promotion went wrong.

Dr Pepper: what's the worst that can happen? campaign
Dr Pepper: what's the worst that can happen? campaign

Coca-Cola, owner of the Dr Pepper brand, launched the May promotion which resulted in a 14-year-old girl's status update being hi-jacked and a reference to a pornographic movie appearing on her page.

The offending status update pretended the 14-year-old had watched a movie on YouTube called '2 Girls 1 Cup'. The message stated: "I watched 2 girls one cup and felt hungry afterwards".

The girl's mother said her daughter searched for the movie after reading the update, but was blocked by the child filter.

Lean Mean Fighting Machine was awarded the account in April but a spokeswoman for Coca-Cola said an investigation had been launched and the soft drinks giant would be reviewing its relationship with the agency.

As revealed today (20 July), Lean Mean Fighting Machine has picked up the digital ad account for Coca-Cola's Coke Zero brand. Coca-Cola confirmed that the investigation could also affect this appointment as the relationship was being reviewed in its entirety.

The spokeswoman said: "It has been brought to our attention that the Dr Pepper promotion on Facebook posted an offensive status update.

"We apologise for any offence caused. As soon as we became aware of this we took immediate action and removed the status update from the application.

"We have also taken the decision to end the promotion. We were unaware of the meaning of this line when the promotion was approved and have launched an investigation into why it was included.

"We take full responsibility and will be reviewing our promotional procedures. We will take all steps necessary to ensure this does not happen again."

The Facebook app gave consumers the chance to win £1,000 if they allowed Dr Pepper to take control of their status updates.

The updates were chosen at random from a bank of options including "Lost my special blankie. How will I go sleepies?" and "what's wrong with peeing in the shower?" to "never heard of it described as 'cute' before".

The activity formed part of a continuation of the 'What's the Worst that Could Happen?' creative.

Dr Pepper is no stranger to flirting with controversy. For April Fool's Day the brand launched activity on Chatroulette, playing with the idea that male teens use the site to flirt with girls.

It showed an American-styled cheerleader dancing for the viewer. As the dance developed she encouraged the viewer to interact and perform embarrassing tasks before an elderly man dressed as a cheerleader appeared.

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All Comments

Dean Turney - 20 July 2010

So losing the account is the worst that could happen?

 

John Gallen - 20 July 2010

Hilariously epic failure, right up there with Habitat #FAIL

 

John Gallen - 20 July 2010

Nice one Dean :)

There's a stool born every.... I mean a tool born every day!

 
Darian Watts

Darian Watts - 20 July 2010

Don't blame the agency. The client signed off the idea. They knew the risks. They have to take joint responsibility. The strategy would lead to disasters like this. Anyway, you got loads of publicity out of it so it's worked, whereas I can't see the Facebook idea really selling Dr Pepper, another digital social network gimmick. Disgusting tasting stuff.

 
James Newman

James Newman - 20 July 2010

This was a great controversial campaign. It delivered on what it set out to do

http://jamesnewman77.wordpress.com/

 
GrahamCreative

GrahamCreative - 20 July 2010

It's a PR disaster. And one which could so easily have been avoided. It' also one which has ramifications for our industry, rather than fill up the comments here, I've blogged about it here: I'd love your thoughts too. Does this make social media freedom more difficult for brands?

www.GrahamCreative.me/drpepperporn

 

oystein svarod - 20 July 2010

Too eager - too high risk

 
sarah duggan

sarah duggan - 20 July 2010

Who wrote it anyway? I'd like to buy you a beer :)

 
Rob Mortimer

Rob Mortimer - 20 July 2010

I understand why they would want to review the relationship in light of this, but it would be fundamentally unfair if LMFM were punished and the client teams that signed it off were not. Hopefully neither will be and the lessons will be learnt at both ends.

 
Fiona Grantham

Fiona Grantham - 20 July 2010

Ultimately you need to hand over creative freedom to make any social engagement work - but you also need an agency that gets the boundaries they are working in. Did the client outline these boundaries well enough? Who knows, but another day and another lesson learned for everyone else at least!

 

NH - 20 July 2010

a storm in a teacup. until a little internet research reveals more about 2 girls 1 cup.

 
Johnny Watters

Johnny Watters - 20 July 2010

I suspect the team "got away with it" when this update was approved - relying on an ignorant client. But they should've known better.

It's a massive overreaction to get rid of LMFM though - this is the most media coverage the Facebook app has received \(it wasn't particularly engaging precisely because it wasn't allowed to be this dark) - Dr Pepper just missed the opportunity to turn this bad PR on its head. At the very least it could've used the app to apologise to its users and everyone in their networks.

 

Matt Harrison - 20 July 2010

WaveMetrix research shows that they could have dealt with this situation a lot better. We tracked the evolution of the backlash to show how ineffective they were in dealing with it. Their response was to offer the offended mother two free theatre tickets – its not surprising the problem escalated thereafter

http://bit.ly/biTwQo

 

Fabien Mosquito - 20 July 2010

If anything, they should be awarded MORE of Coke's business for this.

 
nick parrish

nick parrish - 20 July 2010

Whatever the other ramifications, I'm not sure that linking Dr. Pepper with a cup full of pooh is good brand association.

I'll have an orange juice, thanks.

 
jon plackett

jon plackett - 20 July 2010

If she'd won the £1000 she wouldn't be complaining.

 
Iain Morrison

Iain Morrison - 20 July 2010

The line between funny and inappropriate is a very fine one. A seasoned agency / marketing department should appreciate this and be big enough, ugly enough and mature enough to face up to their collective mistakes, learn from them and come through the tough times stronger for it.

 
Cecile DeVeres

Cecile DeVeres - 21 July 2010

Ahah! What a brilliant Fail!

 
Dara Bell

Dara Bell - 21 July 2010

Hi Joe and others.,

I like the storm in the teacup comment. Also agree with Graham Creative, it is a PR disaster. For me the failure for brands to treat it social media seriousy is damaging them online.

Fourteen years old girls treat Facebook as real world, it is place tohang out like a treehouse or the promenade or whatever you have in you town. They are deftly aware of Paediphiles and wackos. There is education in sex ed at school.

Digital Natives Gen Y are in there for real and living their lives in real ways. They need you tobe human, they need you to offer them something. This is community, for lack of community in real world.

Digital Natif cares about relationships mor than you ad exec surfing for porn, they are there to connect. You have to act like them whilst still being you \(authentic and loud if that is you). Best first to listen, see what s beig said about you.

Try Twitter search and Friendfeed search to see what is being said. Also remember status updates cn be deleted.

Finally absulutely agree Jonny Watters the least Dr Pepper should so is very apologise to its users and everyone in their networks. Blame it on an intern might have worke too!

Great Chat Here!!!

Dara

 
Cecile DeVeres

Cecile DeVeres - 22 July 2010

It looks like, again, there is controversy for the sake of it. The daughter wanted to be part of the "humiliate-me" campaign and win the £1,000.

The mother had put on the Child Filter so her daughter did not even see the video \(that she will at one point, as we all did, and will probably scream out of disgust... as we all did...)

But the main point is, what is Pastor Martin Ssempa doing about these two girls that EAT DA POO POO?

 

Liana Wilson-Fricker - 22 July 2010

Another example of the power of Mumsnet

http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/1003998-Need-help-with-a-very-sensitive-complaint-against-a-massive

 

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