Corporations are still trying to navigate the tricky world of social media. Of course, you can't please everyone, and an account with hundreds of thousands of followers is going to get a few nasty tweets. Companies are wisely learning to utilize Twitter for marketing purposes, with varying degrees of success. The Chipotle Twitter "hack" was funny at best, and at worst, it was simply stupid. But now Saint Louis Bread Co. (we refuse to say Panera) has farmers across the country up in arms over its latest Twitter campaign.
See also: - Chipotle Twitter Hack Was Just a PR Stunt - Panera Bread Debuts Slow-Carb Hidden Menu in St. Louis Today - Mob Testimony Gives Panera Bread Awesome Ad Opportunity
Bread Co. launched a now-deleted Twitter account called @EZChicken to promote its latest push for antibiotic-free chicken. The account posted several cartoons of a chicken (shaped like a pill, natch) with captions such as, "I dreamt I was running. Does that count as working out?" and "Hard work pays off eventually. But lazy pays off now" (that one has the antibiotic-stuffed chicken inexplicably on a wooden Segway).
Farmers across the country are not pleased. Bread Co. isn't the first food chain to rally for antibiotic-free poultry, but many of the agrarians who responded on Twitter pointed out that, by the way, the drugs are used to help sick animals, just like people. Others are upset that Bread Co. is using fear to sell food.
An apology will only take you so far, @panerabread. Inaction speaks louder than words. #EZChicken is still present online. #pluckezchicken
— Meghan Cline (@CityGirl4Ag) July 30, 2013
@panerabread choose your advertising words more wisely. Express your message without being offensive or fear mongering. #PluckEZChicken
— Karen Corrigan (@weedgirl24) July 31, 2013
Bread Co. has actually been sourcing antibiotic-free chicken since 2004, but it seems that no one really knew about it, hence the marketing push. Vice president of public relations Linn Parrish tells Gut Check that Bread Co. has been working to build up its antibiotic-free chicken sources over the past ten years, hence the "hard road." "It was very hard to get this chicken nine, ten years ago. So we think we've been on the hard road working with farmers over these nine years to raise more chickens that have never, ever been treated with antibiotics," Parrish says.
Next: Just a misunderstanding?
