Universal Studios appears to have misstepped in its use of a Father?s Day geofilter sticker on Snapchat to promote the upcoming release of Ted 2, with a number of users complaining about the effort.
The sponsored geofilters on Snapchat only recently launched, with brands and the mobile messaging application still discovering how to navigate their use. While the geofilters promise a more organic marketing outreach, this comes with potential pitfalls, as Universal Studios found out when some users quickly voiced their dissatisfaction with a Father?s Day filter that was an advertisement for Ted 2, while only the film?s superfans appear to have appreciated the effort.
"The Ted 2 filter on Snapchat is a perfect example of people getting pissed off when brands use ad-like objects to leverage cultural events and invade a space once reserved exclusively for personal promotion," said Meghan Luck, brand strategist at Figliulo&Partners. "Responses to the filter illuminate new tensions that the commoditization of these digital spaces has caused between brands and consumers."
Consumers are perceptive and can easily rebuff brands when their marketing efforts are perceived as intrusive or inappropriate.
June 21 marked Father?s Day and many users took to Snapchat to share photos of their day and found its latest geofilter stickers, wishing users a Happy Father?s Day.
Most likely in an effort to connect with fans over the film?s plotline, as the title character is fighting for his rights to become a father, many consumers did not understand the connection and were confused as to why a genuine post was turned into an advertisement.
Users took to Twitter describing their dissatisfaction for the marketing effort, claiming it had no relation to Father?s Day and in no persuaded them to want to see the film. Few users even made claims not to use Snapchat anymore, as it has become too sponsored.
One user declared ?the Ted 2 filter might be the worst thing ever,? while another user tweeted ?If you use the Ted 2 filter on Snapchat, we are probably barely acquaintances and I would like to keep it that way.? Many other posts on Twitter featured users? sarcastic comments regarding its lacking ability to persuade users to see the film and others pledging not to use the filter.
One tweet read, ?No thank you Snapchat, I would not like to disgrace my father's name with a Ted 2 overlay.?
Originally lacking any form of brand involvement, Snapchat was once a haven away from advertising or marketing efforts. After brands saw the potential to connect to younger demographics and millennials, who largely spend a great deal of time on the app, marketers flocked to the app.
For some consumers, this may cause negative sentiment, as these users can feel as if marketers are intruding on the user experience.
Many users did take to social media to detail their excitement for the geofilter, it seems as though the super fans were the ones most excited. Those who were not already big fans of the original film and its upcoming sequel were turned off by the advertisement.
Ted 2 releases in theaters on Friday, June 26 and the filter was an attempt to drive awareness for the film and have fun with fans in regards to the film?s plotline. To use the filter, Snapchat users take a photo and then swipe right through the various filters.
The Ted 2 geofilter read ?Happy Father?s Day? and ?Ted 2, Friday? along with an image of the main character, Ted.
Snapchat is foraying further and further into the marketing world, while at the same time took another step towards its goal of becoming the go-to place for millennials with the release of music videos on its Discover feature (
see more).
"On the one hand, people have the right to be angry about a sentimental, personal holiday being taken over by a summer blockbuster," Ms. Luck said. "On the other hand, how many people who tweeted angrily about the Ted 2 Father?s Day filter on Snapchat also posted a picture of their father on Instagram, knowing he would never see it because he does not even have Instagram.
"If we have no moral qualms with riding the culturally relevant coat tails of a national holiday to get a few more likes, why do we get so angry when brands do the same thing," she said. "The answer to this question is so simple that it is a wonder no one thought of it before releasing the filter.
"The image of Seth McFarlane?s Ted will never be a valuable element of each Snapchat users? unique, personal, sentimental story of their Father?s Day celebration in the same way our Fathers will be. And, as the backlash has shown, when someone like Ted shows up to the wrong party, they immediately get cast as the obnoxious weird uncle."
