For seven years, hazelnut-spread brand Nutella has received a countless amount of free advertising as fans wrote poems, created short films, posted DYI recipes and shared their devotion for their favorite condiment every February 5—World Nutella Day. The holiday was started by a fan as a fun way to tell others about her favorite food. Since 2007, it’s exploded into an Internet phenomenon, uniting fans around the globe.
So, what’s Nutella’s reaction to such devotion and free advertising from its most committed customers? Issuing a cease-and-desist letter, demanding a stop to all of the celebrating of its product. Obviously, Nutella totally gets this whole Internet thing. One minute, customers are paying good money for Nutella, the next, they’re creating imaginary holidays to recognize and share its awesomeness. What’s next? Fans actually recommending it to others, who will then go and purchase it themselves!? That’s what spending money on traditional advertising is for! Sorry, Nutella fans, your favorite Nutella holiday has just been canceled by Nutella …
