There’s something interesting going on in social media at the moment. It seems that as we become more used to how social technology functions, it is becoming less of an individual platform as we learn how it can be used to group together over a single cause and use ˜pester power” to fight against brands. The extent of this can be seen with two similar cases lately, oddly both related to changes in food products. As mundane as something like an ingredient change might be, if you look further, you can see deeper into the infrastructure of social media to see how it’s being used to organise, unite and protest.

Don’t change our HP

The first example can be seen against HP, who recently made a change to their 116 year old recipe, to reduce the salt content. While this was done for health reasons, HP fans are not happy about the change and are turning to Twitter & Facebook to vent. The issue has even made the national news now, including Channel 4 and ITV. A look at their Facebook Page where fans are rallying for a Bring Back the Salt campaign, will not make easy reading for HP.

And even celebrities are getting involved, with Marco Pierre White calling the (new) sauce ˜disgusting”. Would the news HP reducing the salt level in their sauce have reached such heights without the protests on social media? It’s unlikely.

Don’t change our tea either

The online furor over HP comes just after a similar case with Twinings Earl Grey, who made a change to their recipe by making the tea more ˜lemony”. Some likened the new taste to lemon Cif. And as you’d expect by now, a Facebook campaign was started with various ˜Bring back our Earl Grey tea” groups… [continued at Simply Zesty]