Social Media and Public Opinion: Beer vs Monster

You may have heard about a “David and Goliath” story being played out in the media lately. On September 14, 2009, the makers of Monster energy drink sent a cease and desist letter to Rock Art Brewery in Morrisville, Vermont claiming the brewer’s “Vermonster” label on select beers caused brand confusion with its “Monster” energy drink. Owners Matt and Renee Nadeau are fighting back, claiming there is no infringement issue and that the “nuisance lawsuit” is another case of corporate bullying and brand over-protection. (Read Monster’s parent company “Hansen Beverage Company”’s response.)

In the past this dispute may have been swept under the radar by Monster, or at least limited to the friends and family of the brewer, but with the access and power of social media, Monster is potentially facing a PR nightmare. Matt and Renee of Rock Art posted a video on YouTube and their website (www.rockartbrewery.com) explaining their history and addressing the lawsuit. They are putting a face and a story to their dilemma that people who had never even heard of Rock Art Brewery are responding to. Their followers on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook are taking up the cause and forwarding the story to their followers, using twitter hashtags such as #boycottmonster and #monsterboycott. Their Facebook group Vermonters and Craft Beer Drinkers Against Monster boasts almost 14,000 members. Journalists all over the world are picking up on the story and individuals are blogging their opinions and comments (for both sides).

Whichever party in this debate you find yourself backing, its the power of social media to sway public opinion that is a force to be reckoned with. No matter who wins in court, Monster will have some damage control to run to get their product name back into a favorable light.

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Tags: branding, case study, Corrie Davidson, Social Media

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 19th, 2009 at 2:49 pm and is filed under Social Media. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.