Do you remember the publicity stunt where diners were pleasantly surprised that the gourmet meal they thought they ate turned out to be Pizza Hut pasta?
Well, ConAgra tried to generate online buzz by inviting food bloggers to fancy dinner, then recording them with hidden cameras when they were served frozen lasagna and dessert ... needless to say, the food giant got something they didn't bargain for:
But while consumers tend to laugh along with the ruse, ConAgra was about to learn that bloggers, who often see themselves as truth-seeking journalists, find the switcheroo less amusing, especially when it entails them misleading their readers beforehand.
“Our entire meal was a SHAM!” wrote Suzanne Chan, founder of Mom Confessionals, in a blog post after the event. “We were unwilling participants in a bait-and-switch for Marie Callender’s new frozen three cheese lasagna and there were cameras watching our reactions.”
So ConAgra did get online buzz, as this NY Times article by Andrew Adam Newman wrote. Just not the kind of buzz they were hoping to get! Link | Read more at Suzanne's blog