What A Nutter

We would love to have an apt stalker! Imagine walking into the office on a Monday morning welcomed with email after email of apt-preciation, being sent flowers and chocolate, (maybe a spot of Gin?), etc... Well, shockingly, Nutella doesn’t seem to be too impressed with their inherited superfan, despite going through the effort of creating and dedicating an annual celebration to the deliciously nutty chocolate spread.

That’s right; avid “Nutter” (we’ve coined this to mean... noun. a person who loves everything about the renowned Italian chocolate/hazelnut spread, Nutella) Sara Rosso was sent a very grumpy cease-and-desist letter from the spread’s Italian parent company, Ferrero. As to why Nutella sent the cease and desist? Rosso said, "They asked me to take down the site because they consider it to be an unauthorised use of their intellectual property and trademarks, the Nutella logo and brand." Ferrero confirmed this by blaming the reaction on “a routine brand defence procedure that was activated as a result of some misuse of the Nutella brand on the fan page.”

Following an outpour of support from other “Nutters” on the brands social media page, including a threat to remove the fan page and deactivate the NutellaDay.com from Rosso herself; Ferrero backed down and embraced the unexpected backlash as a marketing success! Clever move Ferrero! The confectionary brand has since issued a direct apology to Sara, expressing its “sincere gratitude for her passion for Nutella, gratitude which is extended to all fans of the World Nutella Day.”

So, what have we learnt? Either a) don’t bother creating a fan page, world day or blog about your favourite brand, or, b) if you do, make sure it’s not Nutella! You can view the whole blog from Sara Rosso here: http://www.nutelladay.com/