1. McDonald’s attempt at soliciting positive customer feedback via the hashtag “#McDStories” was pulled within two hours, when customers started posting derogatory tweets.
2. Oreo’s 2013 tweet when the lights went out during the Super Bowl, “You can still dunk in the dark”, was retweeted 15 000 times and gained 20 000 Facebook “likes” and 34 000 new Instagram followers.
3. Kraft launched Nabisco 100-calorie packs in response to trends in online discussions, racking up $100 million in sales within a year.
4. A European CPG company used advanced analytics of SKU data to match retail assortments with consumer preferences, achieving a higher sales growth. Engrossing as these case studies are, the overarching question one is left with is, “Is there a method to this madness?” That is not to say there isn’t; just that it is hard to glean how one goes about marrying specific tools and methods to specific problems.