Miracle Whip--the off-white Kraft condiment long known as mayonnaise's trashy cousin--tends to be either loved or loathed. We're guessing the brand's latest marketing effort may be similarly divisive.
On Monday, the brand--which underwent a radical facelift in 2009 to appeal to a younger, social media-savvy demographic--debuted its "Not For Every Relationship" contest. Part of its "We're Not For Everyone" campaign, which capitalizes on the apparently passionate attitudes people tend to have toward the product, the contest solicits 60-second videos that answer the question, "How has Miracle Whip affected your relationship?" The prize? $25,000 for a wedding--or a divorce.
Sure, the effort is meant to be playful--the video launching the contest features actors playing a priest and a divorce attorney interrupting each other as they explain what they're looking for--"one-of-a-kind, straight-up, no-BS" videos that riff on how the "simple spread can hold your relationship together, or pull it apart."
Leaving aside for a moment the fact that the premise itself is something of a stretch--a disagreement over a condiment can destroy a marriage, really?--we still find the whole enterprise a little queasy-making. Indeed, is it just us, or does offering money towards a divorce, even if in jest, come off as somewhat flip in a time when divorce rates are sky-high, especially among the young demographic Miracle Whip is targeting?
By the same token, the tone struck by a series of videos on the contest site featuring newly-married Las Vegas couples like the Harveys sharing their he-said, she-said feelings about Miracle Whip seems sweet, until the tag line advertising the contest appears at the end: "Tell us your story for a chance to win $25,000 for your wedding. Or divorce."
What do you think--has Miracle Whip gone too far or is this contest all in good fun?