Is the global attention really benefiting Auntie Anne's?

Since the "hot dog" saga began about a week ago, when Malaysian authorities JAKIM demanded Auntie Anne's change the word "dog" to sausage in its products, the F&B outlet has been in the national and global spotlight.It has garnered support from netizens and has also been covered by news outlets locally, regionally and globally. Certainly, the fast food chain, known for its pretzels has earned some good brand exposure from the whole "hot dog" and halal debacle.While the old saying goes, any PR is good PR, we ask PR players if this is really true for the Auntie Anne's brand."How this can benefit the fast food chain remains to be seen," said Alex Ooi, managing director of Roots PR. To say that this has benefited Auntie Anne’s is premature at this point in time, he added. Ooi was of the view that certainly, not all brand exposures are the same and in that same context. Thus not all brand exposures are necessarily a good thing.He said the crux of the issue for Auntie Anne's goes beyond naming convention. When it comes to PR value, Ooi also said:PR value is defined when there is something beneficial to the brand. In this context, it still too early to tell whether this will ultimately benefit Auntie Anne’s or hurt it.Gogulan Dorairajoo, chief executive officer at Rantau PR said the news has definitely garnered the Auntie Anne's brand name and its menu offerings significant publicity and exposure.On the whole, Dorairajoo said consumer reaction to the halal certification issue towards the brand has tended towards the positive, although some may disapprove of the company creating negative publicity for JAKIM (Malaysian Islamic Development Department) - a department respected internationally for its halal certification procedures.Dorairajoo added that loyal Auntie Anne's customers have come out in support of the brand and reiterated their brand loyalty. He added, however, some consumers may also have concerns that Auntie Anne's did not obtain halal certification prior to this although it has been in Malaysia for 20 years.Sensationalism on social media?Riding on the spotlight wave, the fast food chain also posted a new ad of its “Jumbo cheese dog” last Sunday on its Facebook to further promote the brand and its products.To this, Ooi said Malaysia has quite a complex culture, and underneath all of this is an ever-evolving fabric of society that constantly changes. A wise move, in this case, would be determined by which target audience that the brand is looking to sell its story and product to.Ooi explained that while the liberals may applaud the rebelliousness of the brand, the conservatives may find Auntie Anne’s to be non-conforming to the sensitivities of their culture."By taking a strong stance, you are basically foregoing one market for another," Ooi added.He suggested, perhaps Auntie Anne’s could have started discussion with representatives of the left-wingers to find an agreed solution before going on the offense when it comes to reinforcing their stance on messaging as a sign of respect for the cultural sensitivities."Even though it may not yield any positive result - but at least it shows the brand has taken some proactive measures to ensure that they’ve played their part in bridging the cultural difference in opinion," Ooi added.Meanwhile, Dorairajoo added that rather than air all its dirty laundry in public, it may have been wiser for the brand to refrain from comments before the certification is obtained.The choice by Auntie Anne's to publicise this matter on social media (by its quality assurance and halal executive) may also seem unprofessional and a move to deliberately sensationalise matters.But at the moment, Dorairajoo said it would be best for Auntie Anne's to continue their business as usual, using their owned media to drive the brand promise, and reassure customers that they will be sharing news on their halal certification once they have updates.He added that using a promotion to thank customers for their support would be well received. However, a broader promotional activity that does not centre on the pretzel dog may be wiser, as it would create awareness on the company's full product menu while avoiding the perception that it is poking fun at JAKIM, albeit in a subtle way.UPDATE: Auntie Anne’s has informed A+M the same day after this article was published that the company has since edited and replaced its "Jumbo cheese dog" ad on Facebook to take out the word "dog," because it "agreed to change the name."