Ahead of the upcoming Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic games, there's been a ton of controversy, particularly over the country's strong anti-LGBT laws.
Just a few weeks ago, McDonald's set up 'Cheers to Sochi,' a campaign where fans could send encouraging messages to the athletes through its website or just by using the "CheersToSochi" hashtag. The hashtag became quite popular and LGBT activists began using it as well. Shortly after, cheerstosochi.org was set up to parody McDonald's site, showing brutality the LGBT community faces in Russia.
cheerstosochi.com leads to McDonald's site and the cheerstosochi.org parody site by LGBT activists was bought for about $10, since it was not claimed by McDonald's first. Since the site has gained attention, McDonald's has redirected its URL and stopped promoting the "CheersToSochi" hashtag on January 24.
What Makes This Trend Stand Out
- LGBT Activism
- There is an opportunity for businesses to support LGBT causes via brand activism.
- Parody Marketing
- There is an opportunity for businesses to use parody marketing to bring attention to social issues.
- Social Media Backlash
- There is an opportunity for businesses to be aware of potential social media backlash and respond appropriately.
Sectors Adopting This
- Fast Food Restaurants
- There is an opportunity for fast food restaurants to ensure their marketing campaigns align with social values and do not offend potential customers.
- Activist Organizations
- There is an opportunity to use parody marketing to draw attention to important social issues and encourage activism.
- Online Marketing
- There is an opportunity to be aware of social media backlash and quickly adapt marketing strategies to address any concerns.
