Read about Chick-fil-A’s Social Media Frenzy by our PRSSA Blog Team.

By: Holly Habeck

What’s better than Chick-fil-A chicken nuggets? Not much, but the one day all you can eat chicken nugget and waffle fry promotion at Chick-fil-A’s St. Petersburg Beach location comes pretty close. So close in fact that the promotion gained nationwide attention after
mentions of it on Facebook gained over 100,000 shares.

Here’s the catch. The promotion was only valid on Oct. 30 at the St. Petersburg Beach location in Florida. Needless to say, fans were disappointed.

Others were legitimately angry at the fast food chain.

What’s interesting about this misunderstanding is that the blame didn’t fall on the St. Petersburg Beach location alone. With more than 1,900 locations in over 42 states, Chick-fil-A franchises across the country all felt the heat after this social media blunder.

Customers also took to Chick-fil-A’s corporate Facebook page in search of answers:

Hello – can you please comment on the ALL YOU CAN EAT chicken nuggets deal that is being advertised for Friday on Facebook?

Posted by Matthew McShane on Thursday, October 29, 2015

The company wrote:

Hi Matthew, thanks for asking. Local events are at the discretion of the Operator. The event you are describing is happening at the St. Pete Beach location only, but please confirm with your local Chick-fil-A. Have a great day!

While the St. Petersburg Beach franchise undoubtedly gained exposure from this incident and business from the promotion, let this social media uproar be a lesson in public relations. Clarity is key, especially if your promotion is likely to go viral. You can delete or amend a post, but sometimes it’s just a few too many nasty emails and questioning tweets late.

Source: http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/19625.aspx
Image Credit: http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/st-pete-beach-chick-fil-as-all-you-can-eat-chicken-nugget-promotion-goes/2251482