#TheDress tore just about everyone in the world apart, including the Brogan & Partners office. Was it blue and black? Was it white and gold? We all had a different opinion, and so did the marketing departments behind some of the biggest brands.
When people everywhere were taking to Twitter to join team #blueandblack or #teamwhiteandgold, brands joined team #realtimemarketing—generating more than 10 million tweets about the dress in just one week.
For Dunkin’ Donuts, it was easy to join the conversation, and even easier to put their product at the center of it. Blue and black donut? Check. White and gold donut? Check. It was cute, clever and almost effortless—all things that great marketing can be.
Doesn’t matter if it’s blue/black or white/gold, they still taste delicious. #thedress pic.twitter.com/Oq8srrAKnd
— Dunkin’ Donuts (@DunkinDonuts) February 27, 2015
Snapple found a way in, too. For years, fans have counted on the brand for a fact underneath their bottle top. This time, the fact was the color of the dress.
The dress is blue and black. #thedress #teamblueandblack pic.twitter.com/J822wJAvWb
— Snapple® (@Snapple) February 27, 2015
JC Penney took the opportunity to push one of their products—a dress everyone could see was blue and black.
We promise, we aren’t messing with you. This dress is blue and black. #TheDress #Blueandblack #WhiteandGold pic.twitter.com/pI92V96uLX
— JCPenney (@jcpenney) February 27, 2015
While Pizza Hut reminded their fans that the best things in life are white and gold.
It’s white and gold. pic.twitter.com/OqrPgKx6r4
— Pizza Hut (@pizzahut) February 27, 2015
Clorox told us it didn’t matter what color the dress was, as long as it was stain-free. (Which it would be, if you used their product.)
Trust us, #TheDress is white.
— Clorox (@Clorox) February 27, 2015
Other brands started to chime in throughout the week, likely waiting to brainstorm with their creative teams and get client approval. The same may be true for Oreo, but given their history with real time marketing, we’re willing to bet that arriving late to the party was the plan all along.
Fashionably late? #TheDress pic.twitter.com/qGVecgt4mz
— Oreo Cookie (@Oreo) February 27, 2015
How can you use social media to take a stand on a silly issue? Think creatively about all the possible ways you could fit your brand into the conversation—and go with the one that seems the most effortless. You don’t want your content to feel too forced. Likely, the option that seems the most obvious, probably is.
Which #TheDress tweet was the best? Tell us in the comments below.
For more inspiring examples of real-time marketing, visit our original post in this series: 4 inspiring examples of real time marketing.
