Earlier this spring, Miracle Whip launched a campaign to stoke the debate between those who can’t live without the sandwich spread and those who find it an affront to condiments everywhere (full disclosure…I fall in the latter camp). The campaign features well-known personalities including Amy Sedaris, James Carville and the Jersey Shore’s Pauly D expressing either their love for or hatred of the brand. The campaigns feature a call-to-action to consumers to voice their own opinions on the brand’s YouTube page.
Acknowledging that some consumers hate your product is nothing new. You don’t have to go too far back into the recent past to find examples of other companies airing their dirty laundry to regain public credibility (see Domino’s admission of subpar pizza for proof).
But this is different. This isn’t a mea culpa for a product gone awry. Miracle Whip is drawing a definitive, creamy line in the sand, saying that though it might not be for everyone, the spread has a place in the hearts of plenty of sandwich lovers out there. The brand has carved out a special niche for those who truly get their product and provided those brand loyalists a forum to share their preference with the world. They have stoked the competitive fires, and their loyalists have responded to the challenge – it must be noted that those in favor of the spread currently outnumber those opposed by a margin more than 17 to 1 on the official YouTube page.
And their choice of celebrity spokespeople, although bizarrely varied, serves a purpose too. The always classy Pauly D appears on camera declaring, “I hate Miracle Whip so much. I tell you. If I had a girlfriend who liked Miracle Whip, it’s a deal-breaker.”
Congratulations, Miracle Whip, you might have just given me a reason to purchase your product.
