Color War: Brands Attempt to Cash In on the Great Dress Debate via Social Media Black and blue or white and gold?
By Kate Taylor
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Modern advertising: if it's trending on Twitter, you better believe major brands' social media experts are trying to figure out a way to tweet about it.
On Thursday, the internet found itself completely swept up in a debate about a dress: Is it blue and black or white and gold?
People who saw blue and black couldn't imagine how anyone could see white and gold, and vice versa. Twitter was in an uproar. Buzzfeed's article on the reportedly drew more visitors to the site than any other article. Celebrities chimed in.
I don't understand this odd dress debate and I feel like it's a trick somehow. I'm confused and scared. PS it's OBVIOUSLY BLUE AND BLACK
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) February 27, 2015At this point, fast-food companies sprang into action, eager to hitch their wagon onto the beyond viral dress and get some free social media marketing.
Related: Domino's Wants Customers to Tattle on Franchisees Who Haven't Updated Their Signage
The flops.
That time we had blue crowns. #TheDress pic.twitter.com/yPvaKOsELA
— Burger King (@BurgerKing) February 27, 2015What's all the fuss about... we see red and yellow. #whiteandgold #blackandblue #redandyellow
— Carl's Jr. (@CarlsJr) February 27, 2015Definitely not blue #TheDress pic.twitter.com/Z1dIE9Atoa
— krispykreme (@krispykreme) February 27, 2015Doesn't matter if it's blue/black or white/gold, they still taste delicious. #thedress pic.twitter.com/Oq8srrAKnd
— Dunkin' Donuts (@DunkinDonuts) February 27, 2015In an era where slang like 'bae' has become part of social-media etymology for many brands, most attempts to bring the dress debate into marketing just seemed awkward. When every chain is going to tweet about a trending topic, brands need to either step up their social media game or change their tactics. It's worth noting that the chains most frequently linked to "millennial" customers, including Shake Shack, Chipotle, Starbucks and Taco Bell were, as of 10:45 a.m. ET, free of tweets regarding the dress debate.
The cheesiest.
It's white and gold. pic.twitter.com/OqrPgKx6r4
— Pizza Hut (@pizzahut) February 27, 2015This is awkward, it's actually white and red. pic.twitter.com/DpCKsBkPiI
— Domino's Pizza (@dominos) February 27, 2015For simplicity and timeliness, Pizza Hut beats out Domino's with 20 times as many retweets. (Papa John's, perhaps laying low on Twitter after the Iggy Azalea incident, did not speak out on the matter.)
Related: Shake Shack Is 100 Times More Successful Than McDonald's on Instagram, Analysts Say
The early bird.
idk what color that dress is but pancakes are definitely gold and butter is definitely white
— IHOP (@IHOP) February 27, 2015IHOP didn't go overboard, but by tweeting last night, when all anyone online wanted to do was talk about The Dress with anyone possible, the chain managed to rack up more than 2,500 retweets in 12 hours. The only brand that had a wider social reach was Pizza Hut, another account that managed to get a tweet out late Thursday night.
The best.
*stops furiously scribbling amidst dozens of coffee cups* there is no dress. it is not the dress that changes colors, it is only yourself.
— Denny's (@DennysDiner) February 27, 2015While most chains' attempts at viral marketing seem shoehorned and uncomfortable, Denny's is constantly offering weird commentary, often on whatever has gone viral that day. When it comes to trying cash in on viral content, Denny's is the only Twitter reliably weird enough to make the Internet kind of make sense.
"we are chill, we mean no harm. give us some fries." -llamas, probably
— Denny's (@DennysDiner) February 26, 2015Related: Why KFC Is Developing an Edible Coffee Cup in the U.K.
