Stalking Jokes Should Not Be Used To Sell Cookies

I’d like to know what was going through the heads of the Lacta marketing executives who approved and pinned to the top of their @LactaBis Twitter feed a tweet that included the word “stalking”.?

The tweet promotes Lacta’s new white Bis chocolate wafer cookie line #BisBranco. Bis is a popular chocolate and snacks company in Brazil and subsidiary of Mondelēz International (formerly Kraft Foods).?

The whole tweet was in Portuguese. It Google translates to:?

“You are always keeping an eye on my posts, but now I’m going to take care of your life.

“Like or react here and I’ll analyze your profile and send messages based on your tastes! Time to stalk you.”

I wish this was a case of a really bad Google translation. But “Hora de te stalkear” in Portuguese is, without a doubt, “Time to stalk you.”?

The addition of a smiling side-eye emoticon, googly-eyes and a Bis cookie in a detective hat with a magnifying glass, all reinforce the idea of stalking and the invasion of privacy.?

Being stalked and under surveillance online by your favourite cookie must have sounded fun to the marketing team. However, when marketing a product, it is essential to think about what is happening in the society around you.?

In Brazil, there is an acknowledged and recognized problem of violence against women. Women and girls face high levels of fear and violence in their daily lives, mostly from people they know. A 2016 survey of 503 Brazilian women from different parts of the country showed that 86% of them had experienced street harassment and 44% experienced unwanted physical contact (Actionaid).

A simple search of “stalking” on major news channel Globo.com results in 5 separate stalking cases in September 2021 alone. The perpetrators are ex-husbands, former boyfriends, even store clients or neighbours, in real life and online. An anti-harassment law came into force on March 31, 2021 to criminalize stalking to deal with the epidemic of gender-based violence.

Simultaneously, Brazil is undergoing a wave of cybercrime, in particular phishing attacks with 1 in 5 Brazilians being targeted in 2020 alone (Zdnet). The Igarape Institute has noted in an analysis of Brazil’s new digital security strategy that Brazil is vulnerable and has to build its capacity to protect itself.?

In the context of rising cybercrime, Lacta’s promises to “analyze your profile and send messages based on your tastes!”, does seem out of step with the real privacy concerns and vulnerabilities of Brazilian consumers, especially after a year of online work, thanks to the pandemic.

My concerns about social context and advertising don’t seem top of mind for the 46,561 Followers of the account. As of this writing, the tweet has 1,213 comments, 15,000 Likes, 340 Retweets and 102 Quote Retweets (where someone adds their thoughts about the tweet). The company tweeters are playfully interacting with commenters. Brazilians clearly love their Bis and are happy to spread the word about Bis Branco. Stalking in the context of eating more cookies is apparently a joke worth sharing. Based on these numbers alone, this tweet was a short-term marketing success for the company.?

However, marketing requires a long-term vision. Lacta is known as a “Local Jewel” of Mondelēz International in its South American market. But I wonder if Lacta is aligned with what Mondelēz calls its marketing approach, Humaning: “we will feed the hunger for human connection in everything we do by being fully consumer-centric: Listening, empathizing and adapting to fit consumer needs at any moment with perfectly crafted products that are a source of delight.”?

Within this context, making light of stalking and online privacy concerns puts that connection with the consumer at risk. Words matter and I hope stalking is removed from the marketing lexicon sooner than later and on a global scale. When it isn't a joke, we can deal with the real problems caused by sexism.