WTF Virus Spreads

The WTF Virus Spreads - Lock up your teenagers.

Viral marketing is marketing that is spread by others. It could be the main steam media, bloggers, social advocates, radicals, cultural subgroups, community leaders, protesters and/or politicians.

The attraction of viral marketing is that it spreads quickly and almost effortlessly. The viral marketer only needs to flick the spark and fan the flames. The danger of viral marketing is that once you create it, it takes on a life of its own. You can’t control the direction or the acceleration. Viral marketing is like a forest fire or viral outbreak efficient at spreading and difficult to control.

Read the book, “The Tipping Point” to see how a marketing virus can work as a powerful marketing tool. Paul Revere’s viral message, “The British are coming” is one example.

A recent example of viral marketing in action is the teen-targeted campaign launched by Mac’s Convenience Stores in Ontario to sell new flavoured ice-drinks (called Frosters). The new flavours are “WTF” and “OMG” which most teens know mean “What the F**k” and “Oh my Gawd”. In addition to using vulgar product names Mac’s promoted the new flavours with a provocative poster featuring a nun and a goat bowing in the presence of the cup of WTF.

Many adults didn’t know the meaning. But as they are learning some are pissed. (Some folks are easily annoyed.) Emotional support and protests are two contributing elements of a viral marketing campaign.

To be successful this virus only needs to drive one summer of ice drink sales. Last year it was Bloody Zit. This year it is WTF.


So who else is spreading the WTF virus?


Dropping the f-bomb
PATRICK WHITE
From Friday's Globe and Mail
May 18, 2007 at 9:06 AM EDT

The purple brew is called "WTF" - a common acronym for "what the fuck" used in instant-messaging chats and text messages - and it's causing a stir in communities across the country. Earlier this week, residents in Sault Ste. Marie and Timmins, Ont., threatened to boycott Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., the parent company of Mac's, about what they see as an offensive advertising campaign.

Read “Dropping the f-bomb” at the Globe and Mail (Notice the long list of comments posted.)






Teen tells premier 'FLICK OFF' poor choice
Timmons Daily Press
Editorial - Thursday, May 10, 2007 @ 10:00

(Editor's note: The following is an open letter to Premier Dalton McGuinty from 14-year-old Timmins teen Jesse Fontaine.)

I am a home-schooled Christian, living in Timmins. I am currently completing Grade 8, have an interest in politics and last year won the Short Story Category at The Daily Press Literary Awards. According to a Mac's convenience stores representative, the "WTF" is supposed to stand for "WHAT'S THE FLAVOUR" but we all know that the "WTF" on the cup implies the vulgar phrase "WHAT THE FLICK" (I used "Flick" because I don't use the "F" word that Mac's, M&M Meats and Subway intentionally, or otherwise, represent with the "F" in the "WTF" so proudly posted at their stores.)

Read this article in The Timmons Daily Press





OMG. Mac's Froster campaign leaves bad taste in some mouths
Brian Kelly
Sault St Maire Sault Star
Local News - Wednesday, May 16, 2007 Updated @ 7:28:28 AM

Mac’s Convenience has included popular acronyms used online that have foul language in its latest promotion to market its Froster fountain drink. Signs posted above the beverage machine read WTF, OMGWTF, RUNTSOMGWTF for small, medium and large sizes. The website, www.urbandictonary.com, describes OMGWTF as “the commonly accepted Internet abbreviation for Oh my God, what the f---” while the acronym WTF “generally stands for” What the f---. RUNTS means Are you nuts?

Read the rest of OMG article in the Sault Star.



Mac's Talks Dirty
May 10, 2007
By CSD Staff

Frozen drink's promotional campaign takes heat for interpreted vulgarity.

Along with the negative attention the poster is getting for its interpreted blasphemy, Mac's Froster drinks are also raising controversy for the "WTF" printed across the cups. WTF is a frequently used abbreviation made popular by instant and text messaging. Some imagination may be required to figure out the acronym.

Mac's has protested that the "F" stands for "Flavour," instead of the four-letter expletive, however, the names given to the medium- and large-variety of Frosters--titled with the abbreviations "OMGWTF" and "RUNTSOMGWTF" respectively--imply otherwise. "OMG" is text message slang for "Oh My God," and "RUNTS" is short for "Are you nuts?"

Read the rest of Mac’s Talks Dirty at Convenience Store Decisions



League protests 'blasphemous’ TV program milk ad
By Deborah Gyapong5/17/2007
Canadian Catholic News (www.cathnews.net/)
OTTAWA, Canada (CCN)

The Catholic Civil Rights League has been successful in getting the Mac’s Milk convenience store chain to withdraw “offensive” posters for its Froster’s campaign.

“The poster features a goat and a model dressed in traditional nuns’ clothing, appearing to gaze heavenward at the drink, which is festooned with the letters: “W.T.F.” (The company’s official line is that this stands for “what’s the flavor.”)

Read the rest of this article at Canadian Catholic News





What the Huh? Mac's Convenience Stores Running Offensive Froster Ads
By John-Henry Westen
LAVAL, QC, May 9, 2007
LifeSiteNews.com

Mac's Convenience Stores, the most popular convenience stores in Canada, with a strong presence in the United States as well, have launched what many are seeing as a highly offensive advertising campaign for their frosted carbonated drink - froster.Posters seen in Mac's store windows feature a nun kneeling with her arms raised and a sheep at her side. Above the nun, to which she looks adoringly, is a shining froster with the initials WTF below.

Read the rest of What the Huh? at LifeSiteNews.com


Looks to me like the WTF virus is spreading fast.


George Torok
Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing

Marketing Specialist

Gazette reports on WTF Nun campaign

Montreal Gazette reports on the WTF Nun campaign

Edgy or over the edge?
Ads targeting hard-to-reach young consumers can land a company in hot water - just ask Couche-Tard
ALLISON LAMPERT, The Gazette
Published: Saturday, May 19, 2007

The nun kneels beside a lamb, her arms outstretched toward the heavens.
She gazes longingly toward the golden light - and at the image of an orange frosted drink emblazoned with the letters: "WTF." WTF is teenage text messaging and online lingo for "What the f---." Surprise, surprise - online forums and blogs and conservative Christian groups were having a field day this month debating and denouncing the ad, created for Quebec depanneur giant Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.'s Ontario convenience stores.

Read the rest of this article at The Gazette

____________________________________

The stores operate as Mac's Convenience in Ontario. Notice that Mac’s is getting the media coverage for the controversy they created. But they seem to have lost the urge to run with this viral marketing. They pulled the "WTF Nun" poster. If they had kept the poster up for a bit longer teens would have gone to the stores just to see the poster. If fact teens have even bought copies of the poster. These things have a short half life. Mac’s just did not think this through enough. I guess the management at Mac's is getting too old and cautious. Maybe Mac's should get out of marketing to teens. Leave it to marketers with bigger cahones.


George Torok
Co-author of "Secrets of Power Marketing"
Marketing specialist, consultant and business speaker

Mac's WTF Nun and Goat Poster

WTF

The nun worships the new ice drink from Mac's.

And the goat?

If this poster doesn' make you laugh you got your knickers on too tight.

This marketing program from Mac's is clearly targeted at Catholic teens.

If you think that this poster is offensive then it was not targeted for you. The target audience will laugh at this poster and not understand your angst.

Who buys ice drinks? Teens. Not nuns and goats.
And will these teens cast off their "good Catholic education because of this poster?"

It they do, it was not a good Catholic education.

George Torok

Mac's WTF Nun and Goat

Mac’s WTF nun with goat

Mac’s Convenience Stores came out with another bold marketing campaign to promote their new ice-drink WTF, but they blinked.

This time Mac’s Convenience Stores was promoting another ice-drink. Instead of Bloody Zit the new flavour was WTF. What the flavour?

Again Mac’s spoke directly to their target market – teens. And to Internet and text messaging teens WTF is code for What the F**k. Controversy is a powerful branding ingredient.

Good on Mac’s. A strong positioning that reaches their target audiences and ticks off those outside the target market – parents of teens.

Mac’s produced a poster for in-store display. The poster showed an image of the new WTF Froster cup floating in the air and surrounded by an angelic halo. The cup has the letters WTF on it. Below the Froster cup image was a nun on her knees clearly worshiping the magnificence of this angelic vision. Next to the nun was a goat.

I don’t understand the significance of the goat. But, the combination of the nun and the goat both worshipping the floating cup made me laugh.

Again Mac’s Convenience Stores hits a direct bull’s-eye with its target audience!

It this case the target is not just teens in general but more specifically teens at Catholic schools. Because, those teens already make jokes about the nuns at their schools and churches.

Once again Mac’s launched a great branding and viral marketing campaign. They knew their target market. They were bold. But this time something went wrong. Mac’s got cold feet. Within a week of launching this poster Mac’s killed the campaign. They pulled all the posters and any acknowledgement of the campaign period. Mac’s is pretending that their WTF Nun with goat poster never existed.

What happened? The folks at Mac’s already experienced negative feedback to their Bloody Zit promotion. So what part of the negative feedback this time surprised them? They had to know that this poster would offend parents, Catholics and other moral right wingers. Jerry Falwell is dead, thank god, so it was not him and his moral majority.

Kudos to Mac’s and its creative marketing folks. Shame on the Macs management for blinking. You had a good marketing idea. Let’s see how your target market rewards you for wimping out.

WTF

George Torok
Power Marketing
CEO Feedback

Flick off again

Flick Off Again

I was asked again about the power of controversy in marketing in general and the “flick off” campaign in particular.

The “flick off” slogan rates high on the branding meter because it:

a. zeros in on the target market - teens and 20-somethings
b. is memorable and has a secret meaning to the target audience
c. is controversial, especially to the non-target group

To evaluate this slogan one must consider the target group. Consider the demographics. Anyone who lived through the depression and WW2 already knows about conserving resources. The boomers learned to be more socially and environmentally conscious. The teens and 20-somethings are mostly spoiled and cynical. The only way to get them to flick off the lights is to make it cool.

This slogan and the endorsement from Richard Branson do just that.

The reaction from the political opposition is predictable. The objections from the non-target group is meaningless. Imagine if this campaign can get teens to do something that their parents have (or should have) been yelling at them for years to do – “Turn off the flicking lights!”

Flick off!

George Torok
Marketing Specialist
Best-selling author of Secrets of Power Marketing

Flick Off: Powerful Viral Marketing

Flick off!

How do you create a powerful viral marketing campaign?

Clearly identify and know your target market.
Really know them – what they do, where they go, how they think, what motivates them, how to grab their attention and how to speak their language. (How much of that do you know about your target market?)

That’s a lot of research and most marketers can’t be bothered and most business owners don’t want to invest the money to do that. But when you do the success of your marketing efforts is almost guaranteed. (Sun Tse, the ancient Chinese philosopher said “All battles are won before they are fought.)

So if your market was teens and 20-somethings, how would you approach them?


Be clear on your message.
You want them to reduce energy usage. You want them to start by turning off lights. Long term you want them to become more environmentally aware and responsible.

Simple message but tough sell.


Be clear on the motivation.
We have ten years before global warming becomes disastrous.

Yeah, yeah, we’ve heard it all before: how can I make a difference?


Create a memorable slogan.
Flick off. Wait a minute. Doesn’t that look and sound a lot like f…. off?

Yes, it does and that is the brilliance in the slogan. Flick off is a harmless yet suggestive phrase that could become a new catch phrase – the secret of viral marketing. Flick off speaks the language of this target group. It is memorable. It is provocative – the best way to be both viral and memorable.

Flick off is powerful branding because it is controversial, and a good brand fans the flames of controversy. Read earlier posts about branding principles and the example of Death Cigarettes.


Pick strategic partners.
So if your market is teens and 20-somethings, who do you think would make great business partners? How about Virgin Mobile, (Sir Richard Branson), Roots and Much Music?

Richard Branson becomes the celebrity spokesperson, Roots sells T shirts emblazoned with the edgy slogan and Much Music TV personalities trumpet the message.

Flick off you say?

Yeah, hard to imagine. But that would be a powerful marketing campaign. Well, it is real and it was launched this week in Canada. Imagine that - a bold new marketing campaign to help our dear planet earth started here in Canada. Only in Canada you say - pity!

Flick off. It’s official. The marketing campaign to save us from Global Warming is alive and well in Canada.

The partners in this program are Virgin Mobile, MuchMusic, Roots, Environmental Defence and the province of Ontario. (My kudos to the provincial government for their willingness to invest in such a bold and controversial program.)


Flick Off Summary
For teens and 20-somethings, Flick off, be more energy-responsible.
For older folks bothered by the language – get real and think about the big picture.
For business owners and marketers - a practical marketing lesson.


Sounds like a win all around. Please flick off.


George Torok
Power Marketing