Earlier this year, McDonald’s Corp. experienced a resounding failure in its Twitter marketing campaign, “#McDStories.” Instead 
of seeing a flood of responses from satisfied customers sharing their favourite experiences with the fast-food chain, the firm would see a series of consumer horror stories ranging from hair in food to food poisoning incidents. The wildly unsuccessful attempt at viral marketing had exactly the opposite effect it was intended to, exposing the worst side of the McDonalds experience. The company immediately implemented a new online campaign, labeled “Our Food, Your Questions,” in an attempt to save face. However, this new ploy by McDonald’s marketers is actually a very strong one. It has McDonald’s spokespeople respond to online questions about the company and it’s products through a series of YouTube videos to clear up various misconceptions about the company. This is significant because it could attract potential customers who are unsure about purchasing McDonald’s products because of these misconceptions that are spread by the aforementioned horror stories. By being able to clear the air in such a way, the company has not only negated the effects of its earlier gaffe, it has been able to reduce negativity towards McDonald’s that has plagued the firm for years.
Image courtesy of cbc.ca