The UK division of saccharine cereal manufacturer Kellogg’s has issued a frosted, sodden apology for an emotionally manipulative tweet promising to feed one vulnerable child for every re-tweet garnered by the company’s hollow pledge (see above).
The implication being that if you didn’t RT, starving children everywhere would be consciously deprived of breakfast goods dangled in front of them by the billion dollar grain conglomerate, who could feasibly afford to throw cereal at all and sundry; conversely, even if you did RT, Kellogg’s would still provide the cereal regardless and benefit from the free advertising enabled by vulnerable hungry children, your gnawing conscience and your well-fed guilt.
The conscious decision to publish the poorly-phrased Tweet was made at approximately 3:59:59pm on Saturday, before it was sent live at 4:00:00pm UTC in the effort to promote the company’s #GiveAChildABreakfastCampaign. As is the Twitter users’ wont, the expectant Social Media Backlash ensued promptly at 4:00:02pm, with the company soon after issuing the following grovelling apologies:
We want to apologise for the recent tweet, wrong use of words. It’s deleted. We give funding to school breakfast clubs in vulnerable areas.
— Kellogg’s UK (@KelloggsUK) November 10, 2013
We’d like to sincerely apologise for our distasteful tweet yesterday. We accept full responsibility for any offence we have caused.
— Kellogg’s UK (@KelloggsUK) November 11, 2013
Judging from a cursory glance through the @KelloggsUK feed, they’re in dire need of an overhaul and a new social media strategy anyway (see below).
“Yum yum yum!” #SMDH :/
Cold morning today.. perfect time to tuck in to some new Special K Multi-Grain Porridge. Yum yum yum! What are you having for breakfast? 🙂
— Kellogg’s UK (@KelloggsUK) October 21, 2013
via Metro UK, H/T The Herald Sun
