A crisis was averted recently in the near demise of World Nutella Day. A recent LA Times article highlighted the story of an American blogger living in Italy who has become the No. 1 fan by promoting World Nutella Day. According to the story, Sara Rosso, a self-admitted Nutella fan conjured up the idea in February 2007 to promote the love of Nutella products with a global appreciation day. With her World Nutella Day Facebook page of 40,000 likes and 7,000 Twitter followers, consumers overwhelmingly supported Rosso during the legal spat. It seems that Rosso inadvertently violated usage of the Nutella brand on her website and the legal team for parent company Ferrero Roche issued a cease and desist order that spurred outrage from Nutella lovers around the globe. Fortunately, in an act of pure common sense, company officials reached out to her directly with an acceptable solution (no word on the details, but Rosso claims there was no money involved) and ultimately thanked Rosso for her support and love of the product. If the company had acted in a more heavy-handed manner, public opinion could have quickly turned against it. Thankfully, we can all enjoy our chocolate hazel-nut spread in peace again. Do you think the quick resolution helped preserve the brand?
