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Chick-fil-A is under fire for a tweet directed at a black man who craved the chain’s spicy nuggets. The social media backlash started on Friday, following the user @KANYEISMYDAD posted on Twitter at Chick-fil-A. “Spicy grilled luxuries, but still noooo spicy bits … … … @ChickfilA… ..” he said. The chain’s official account responded, saying, “Your community will be the first to know if spicy items have been added to the permanent menu, Don!” The tweet didn’t sit well with some, who took the phrase “your community” to mean the black community.
Your community will be the first to know if spicy items have been added to the permanent menu, Don!
— Chick-fil-A, Inc. (@ChickfilA) September 9, 2022
It’s not the first time Chick-fil-A used the phrase. The chain said TODAY that they use the term “community” in a broader sense, to talk about the places where they operate restaurants. However, they said their tweet was a poor choice of words. “It was in no way intended to be insensitive or disrespectful,” they said.
It’s a good reminder to double-check the language you use and make sure it doesn’t have offensive tones. With just a few tweaks to their “your community” language, Chick-fil-A could have avoided the backlash.
Here are today’s other top stories:
Ukraine uses the brand to fight a war
As the war in Ukraine continues, more than 20 countries are enjoying Ukraine’s bravery. Created by Kyiv and Los Angeles-based creative agency Banda, Brave Ukraine offers a new way to talk about the country’s national identity and reimagine its values and goals. According to AdAge, the campaign includes billboards, social media posts and more, and features photographs of civilians and soldiers. There are also images of the Ukrainian flag and statements about the courage of its citizens.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy endorsed the brand’s wartime campaign, saying in a video address, “Courage is our brand. This is what it means to be us.” Created on behalf of the country’s Ministry of Digital Transformation, Brave Ukraine comes at a minimal cost. The Conversation reports that Banda is donating its services and that several global media companies have donated media space, including high profile billboards in Times Square.
Why this matters: The direct impact of Brave Ukraine may not be known for some time. However, the campaign transforms an intangible value – bravery – into an asset. It allows the country to expand the visibility of the war beyond news coverage and adapt it for visual and social media consumption.
SOBER THOUGHTS
New research from Morning Consult shows that 25% of US adults who identify as conservative do not subscribe to any video streaming service. That’s 11 percentage points higher than self-identified liberals who said the same. The percentage of conservatives who said they don’t subscribe — or use someone else’s password — to major streaming services was also higher than the percentage of liberals and all American adults who report the same. The difference in usage is particularly high for HBO Max (19%), Netflix (17%) and Hulu (16%).
One reason for the differences is that conservative Americans tend to skew older than liberals and older consumers are less likely to subscribe to video streaming services. However, associate professor of sociology at the University of Toronto as well said that people on the left like pop culture more than people on the right. The data suggests that focusing less on pop culture-related content may attract more conservative viewers. As the growth of streaming video stagnates, it is important for brands to expand their audience.
New campaigns against synthetic fibers raise questions about sustainable fashion
Earlier this month, fashion brand The Woolmark Company launched a dramatic new campaign called “Wear Fur, Not Fossil Fuels.” The campaign, which includes powerful visual imagery, highlights the negative impact of synthetic fabric and the crude oil used in its production. The campaign focuses on a 60 second film depicting three people struggling to swim through a pool filled with crude oil. “Every 25 seconds, an Olympic-sized pool of oil is used to make synthetic clothing,” the caption reads.
As the campaign against synthetic fibers raises awareness of the use of fossil fuels, critics are questioning the truth behind “sustainable fashion”. According to Business of Fashionunclear definitions of what constitutes sustainable fashion have left consumers wondering what they’re investing in: vegan leather or plastic.
“Election is a false narrative,” said filmmaker Rebecca Cappelli, whose documentary “Slay” highlights the negative effects of animal skins in fashion. “It’s the kind of text, something you see in the fur, leather and fur industry to attack synthetic fibers… that doesn’t make what they’re promoting magically good and ethical.”
Why this matters: Claiming the moral high ground is increasingly important for brands. Sustainable fashion is big business, but there is currently no standardized way to measure whether materials are “sustainable” or not. The best thing brands can do is be transparent about their manufacturing processes and materials.
Dawn Olsen is a writer who went to an engineering school overseas (Purdue University) to get a degree in English. She has lived in Indianapolis for 10 years and spends a lot too much time on Twitter. In fact, she’s probably thinking about Twitter right now.
COMMENTARY
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