In early March, the Malabar mascot was replaced by the cat "Mabulle" and this has given rise to many spokespeople on Facebook. The criticism has come from adults outside the target but potentially prescribers (parents) and / or influencers. The stakes for the brand was to be more in tune with his audience "young" to which the man did not speak Malabar. My son prefers the cat: is this not a good reference for a dad? These conversations and reactions of brands interest me because they are growing with the rise of the social web, Facebook forums through blogs expert ... more or less expert and more or less greedy controversy.

What resistance marks against the advent of 2.0 lobbies?

Those who speak are not always those who consume. This is how the community will speak louder to make his point of view. This will soon be coming lobbies 2.0. The brand strength is undoubtedly hold its line, its heading. It actually surprises me the opposite. Look Gap has changed the logo and finally backed down. I'm curious to know what process that mark is passed: the decision to create a new logo through preliminary studies until the launch and the decision to return to the old logo. It is this attitude that seems surprising.

Opportunities and threats for online reputation Malabar

I do not know the bottom of this decision to change the mascot Malabar. The Communications Director Cadbury France, Caroline Hirsbein-Frommer, says more here . The choice of cat appear to be an international alignment since it already exists in the universe Cadbury. The buzz is around the cat: the "lolcats" are a powerful meme internet, the press and the blogosphere are fond of the subject.

On the other hand, the obsession critics may hesitate to raise an operation that would add the rejection.

Some best-practices around the reputation of e-Malabar

• Buyers or not, people who speak about a potential brand ambassadors remain.
• It is not advisable to try to go from strength: the Internet dominate by their numbers and energy. We must therefore create ambassadors to the public Malabar is the only conceivable crisis.
• The pedagogical approach (cf. E Malabar QA on Facebook) does not work: it is indeed here on the passion and not rational. We can not explain a mascot, it should instead make it live.
• The humor may be the key to unite favorable opinions and bypass the current release: it's an angle that avoids appeal to reason.
• The cat should stand up and be embodied as a being in itself: it is easier to attack a community manager a mascot.

If I had to make a possible axis for the brand Malabar, I would say it would channel the longing of people for Mr. Boxer in creating a space and their modes of expression. Playing on the transmission from one generation to another would be an angle as possible rather than to antagonize the "old fans".