Top Tips: How to Navigate a Negative Viral Trend
By Nicole Schuman for PRNews
The words “TikTok Trend” can strike fear in many adults’ hearts. Some have led to Kia cars being hotwired, stolen and kids being charged with grand theft auto. The milk crate challenge led to many injuries. Another viral social media phenomenon, the Tide Pod challenge poisoned many teenagers who ingested the said pods.
It can be a big problem when your brand or organization ends up on the wrong side of virality.
A 2023 trend, featuring McDonald’s Grimace Shake, positioned the purple icon as a murderer. On June 12, 2023 the hamburger behemoth released a novelty shake for Grimace’s birthday. However, two weeks later, TikTokers depicted the lovable mascot in a farce as a culprit—his shake causing the “deaths” of many who ingested the shake.
As of June 28, 2023 Polygon says “#grimaceshake [generated] 689 million views.”
A blessing or a curse depending who you ask—however, McDonalds responded with a truly tongue-in-cheek post.
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