Brands can't be as honest as they might like in dealing with haters on Facebook. But sometimes other Facebook users can do it for them.
That dynamic played out in particularly rogue fashion on Target's Facebook page this week. As the retailer received a steady stream of nasty comments from people upset about its move toward gender-neutral labeling of children's products in its stores, Facebook user Mike Melgaard came to Target's defense—in a provocative manner. He created a fake Facebook account and posed as a Target customer service rep—under the name Ask ForHelp, with a bull's-eye profile pic—and began excoriating the haters with comically sarcastic replies.
He got away with it for about 16 hours, too, commenting on about 50 posts before the fake account was shut down.
I cannot begin to tell you how awesome I think this is. Sure, it made for a bit of a PR headache for Target -- as someone in PR, I sympathize. And as someone in PR, I imagine that they were also smiling a bit, both at the ingenuity that Mike Melgaard displayed and at saying what many were probably thinking.
Go read the entire list of replies via the AdWeek link above. Here are a few to get you started.
Thanks to my sister for the heads-up! Hilarious.
14 August 2015
16 August 2015 Addition: Target ultimately responded in cute fashion on its own FB page.
The photo also included the following message:
Remember when Trolls were the kings of the world? Woo hoo! They're back and only at Target stores.
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