Mellow Mushroom Literally Follows Back

In 1984 James E. Grunig and Todd T. Hunt developed four models of

public relations that have become one of the most widely recognized theories in

the discipline today. Grunig and Hunt's two-way symmetrical model is a process

that seeks to establish a dialogue between an organization and a public. In this

model, responses are just as critical as the information being transmitted. Mellow

Mushroom, a pizzeria that operates as a restaurant franchise, hired Atlanta-

based public relations agency Fitzgerald + Co. to conduct the "Follow Us and

We'll Follow You" campaign. The unique social media campaign converged

branding with entertainment by asking its Twitter users to follow them in

exchange for the opportunity for Mellow Mushroom mascots, Mel and Dude, to

follow the fans back—in real life (see email attachment).

Although Mellow Mushroom followed only hundreds of its 8,981 followers

in real life, it maintained its two-way symmetrical approach through its Twitter

account. Mellow Mushroom's target public is consumers. The company retained

this specified public by following its followers in return (Image 1). This active

public is information seeking because it chose to follow Mellow Mushroom first;

that is, this public actively sought out the corporation's message and/or materials.

The open dialogue between the public and Mellow Mushroom increases the level

of involvement within the relationship. According to a study conducted by Maritz

Research (Image 6), only 29% of responders stated that a company responded

to their Tweet. For the individuals who received a response, 83.5% liked or loved

the fact that the company responded, and 74.4% were somewhat or very

 

satisfied with the company's response. The secondary research reveals that the

majority of consumers are satisfied with the balanced interaction.

In addition, Mellow Mushroom carried out a symmetrical dialogue with its

followers. For every comment, praise, or even complaint, Mellow Mushroom

replied to each individual (Images 3-5). This balanced interaction reinforces the

company's brand through relationship building. By simply following and replying

to its followers, Mellow Mushroom increased brand awareness. In turn, the

company's response to some of its media public's complaints (Image 3-4)

demonstrates that Mellow Mushroom took advantage of the opportunity to speak

for itself and eliminate its public's perceived obstacles. For example, image 4

illustrates that because Mellow Mushroom was willing to address an individual's

complaint, the individual lowered his constraint recognition by acknowledging that

his issue has the opportunity to be resolved. As a result of continuous and

balanced dialogue, the overall public likely developed a positive perception of the

brand because of Mellow Mushroom's concern for its active, information seeking

public's contentment with the business.

Mellow Mushroom's interactive media campaign resulted in successful

branding. The company noticed an increase of followers throughout the

campaign; I, myself, was one of these followers who dined at the restaurant a

week into the campaign simply because of my increased awareness of the

brand. The campaign also integrated other media channels, including YouTube,

where real-life interactions with Mellow Mushroom's mascots were documented.

To top it off, the campaign received national press from the New York Times,

 

Huffington Post, and PRWeb (Images 7-9). Mellow Mushroom's incorporation of

the two-way symmetrical model with its social media campaign produced an

increase of brand awareness, even with non-targeted publics.

 

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Video 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu_gV8sH174