This Nutella Day Fiasco Has Just Been One Giant Emotional Rollercoaster
Will nobody think of the allergic?
For about twelve hours, I lived in a safer world. A world in which I could wander, free from harm. Nutella (and their benevolent production overlords, Ferrero SpA) had cancelled World Nutella Day.
On Monday morning, Ferrero sent Sara Rosso (founder and organiser of the unoffical World Nutella Day, which has 40,000 Facebook fans) a cease and desist letter. Rosso, not wanting the wrath of an international confectionary company on her shoulders, acquiesced. February 5 was returned to its genial status between the 4th and 6th.
My beating heart slowed to a soft and steady rate.
I know what you’re thinking. Nutella is delicious, right? Soft, brown, spreadable goodness that treats every sense. How could I rejoice in its demise? For some of us, Nutella is an untold evil, oozing its way across (and into) thousands of otherwise delicious baked goods. Living with nut allergies, Nutella is just another weapon in society’s war against our immune system.
In sending a cease and desist to Rosso — potentially their biggest fan — Ferrero had done what no marketing campaign could ever do: they’d convinced me to give them money. By actively reducing the goodwill and popularity of their own brand, they gained one valuable customer. I made a promise to Ferrero. Given the choice between their just-okay product, Tic Tacs, and any other breath mint, I would always choose Tic Tacs. Such was my joy and new-found brand loyalty that I would willingly sacrifice my enjoyment to thank them for their actions. They had me, hook line and sinker.
Yet, this morning I woke up to a world darkened once more. The free-trade agreement briefly brokered between my wallet and Ferrero was shattered. Under the pressure of modern-militant social media, Ferrero had caved. In a press release, the obviously humbled company said “Ferrero would like to express to Sara Rosso its sincere gratitude for her passion for Nutella, gratitude which is extended to all fans of the World Nutella Day.”
Rosso herself seems happy, vowing to bring World Nutella Day to life on February 5th. “I hope to celebrate many more World Nutella Days with you” closed her thinly veiled threat this morning. (It’s also worth noting that World Nutella Day are selling an Unofficial Guide to Nutella and serving ads for binary trading and ad platforms, undoubtedly to fund their eventual takeover of the nut-free world.)
In the end, it’s okay – I don’t really like Tic Tacs anyway. But every time I see a brown-coated butter knife or smell the sickly sweet scent of hazelnuts in the air, beware. It’s nut like you know my weakness.
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Alex Sol Watts is a Wee Waa-born and Sydney-based marketer with just enough time on his hands. You can find him on most of the internet as @solwat