The New Way To Troll

Don't Snack On Me

I'm partial to political humor in my daily entertainment mix, which means I've found any number of "YallQaeda" takes in the past day. (In case you haven't been following the news, YallQaeda refers to the Oregon militia members who are occupying a federal building in rural Oregon.) The protestors have vowed to remain for months to draw attention to what they see as an unjust criminal proceeding against two local cattle ranchers, and have managed to get considerable media attention... but now that the authorities have decided to turn off the power and wait out the occupation, rather than risk an armed conflict, the news of the day is that the protesters are using social media to ask for donation of supplies, including socks, snacks, and energy drinks. Which has led to a considerable amount of ridicule, really.

There are, of course, any number of people ready to talk about the politics involved here, or to show how the police treatment of these protestors might differ from, say, how Occupy Wall Street, Black Lives Matter, or those who come near a political convention are treated. This shows a lack of sophistication in the difference between police forces over the country, in my estimation, and Oregon is not exactly a population-dense area. But I digress, and as a consultant, it's not my role to show a side in these matters.

What I find new and interesting about this, especially from a marketing and advertising perspective, is how advances in communication technology allow for fundamentally different interactions between citizens. The protestor message may be brought to you by cable news and and the mainstream media, but the response sure isn't, especially when a postal address is given. (Yes, there's some good fun to be had from anti-government activists collecting supplies through the use of the US Mail. Stay with me on this.)

Imagine, if you will, how moments in our nation's history might have been fundamentally altered with social media and the Web. The Boston Tea Party as flash mob. William Randolph Hearst's efforts to foster fervor around the sinking of the Maine with a timely hashtag. Pancho Villa would have been all kinds of a sensation, honestly.

I don't mean to make light of what might turn into a terrible event. As a nation, our history does not always stay comedic when individuals take up arms against federal employees. But what's different about this is striking and substantial, and speaks to how the news is now not just an industry, or a profit making enterprise, but also a participation sport. Either from the breaking of the event through the use of social media, the escalation of the same, or the changing nature of it. Especially if that P.O. box fills up with items of note.

What does this mean for marketers and advertisers? Well, you have to wonder if a youth-oriented snack brand is going to take a shot at nearly free publicity by putting their wares in the box. No reward without risk. Or if supporters send enough of one brand to make it a de facto sponsorship. Lots of companies make socks and energy drinks and the like, and the temptation to get on the social media gravy train might be too strong to resist.

As a consultant, I'd probably advise a client to steer clear of this if we had any kind of standing in the marketplace. The humor could drain from this situation very quickly, after all, and no one wants their brand to be at the scene of a tragedy. But if I had an entirely new brand and no PR dollars, or was an also-ran or failing already? I just might roll those dice.

And as for what else might come out of this? Well, that's the intriguing part of social media. Supporters and detractors find you the same. And what one group might send to satirize or diminish your position might be very different than what you were asking for.

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