If you’re having a bad day, we have something for you.
In our age of transparency and accountability, we all know that customer comments and complaints should be dealt with in a mature, diplomatic manner when it comes to social media. No matter how much we really just want to tell them all where to stick it, doing so just wouldn’t go over well for 99 per cent of brands.
That’s why one hilarious Facebook user decided to take matters into his own hands when it came to the backlash in the wake of Target’s decision to move toward gender-neutral in-store labeling.
In response to a steady stream of nasty (and often misspelled) comments, a Facebook user named Mike Melgaard posed as Target via a fake Facebook account called AskForHelp, complete with a bull’s-eye profile pic. He then began putting the haters in their place in the most hilarious way possible, commenting on about 50 posts. He managed to get away with it for about 16 hours before the account was shut down.
Melgaard told AdFreak that he was simply surfing Facebook on Sunday night when he noticed that Target’s decision to move away from gender-based labels in both the toy and children’s bedding sections. An inkling told him there would be more than a few angered and vocal Americans as a result.
So, he took advantage of the opportunity to exercise his comedic chops.
“Immediately, I knew there would be your typical outraged American spouting emotional reactions on their Facebook page,” he told AdFreak. “After taking a look, I was literally laughing out loud at my computer. A few more minutes in and it struck me how hilarious it would be to portray myself as a parody customer service rep. So, I did just that, and the rest was history. Honestly, it was like striking comedy gold. Every one of these people gave me the ammunition I needed for a great response.”
Not surprisingly, Target wasn’t too happy about the move (at least, not publicly). They issued the following statement to AdFreak:
“At Target, we are committed to providing outstanding guest service to our guests wherever we engage with them—in our stores, online, or on our social pages. Clearly this individual was not speaking on behalf of Target. Should guests ever have questions on whether a communication from Target is legitimate, we encourage them to reach out to guest relations at 1-800-440-0680.”
Melgaard says he didn’t mean to cause the retailer any harm, and that his prank will probably shine positive spotlight on the big box retailer.
If nothing else, it will make you LOL at your desk right now. Here are just a few of Melgaard’s epic responses:
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