Miracle Whip has been adding a little zip to people’s lives since 1933 when it was introduced at the Chicago World’s Fair. In recent years the zesty condiment hasn’t had a strong following from young consumers. To capture the 18 to 35-year-old segment Miracle Whip created its “We are Miracle Whip and we will not tone it down” campaign.
Miracle Whip recently launched a branded social application as part of its bold, new campaign. The spunky app is aptly named Zingr and allows users to zing almost anything on the web. Zing notices are automatically posted to Facebook and Twitter with a link to the zinged page so all your friends can view your witty remarks.
Will Zingr be a success? The Zingr application fits with the current messaging and shows consumers that Miracle Whip is a modern brand. With Zingr, Miracle Whip is meeting consumers where they are and offering them a value-add application. Zingr’s blend of fun, interaction, and uniqueness with a touch of sarcasm is likely to appeal to the target audience. The Facebook fan page already has over 400 fans and Zingr was featured in Ad Week. Zingr has yet to be covered by Mashable, but that may be a good thing due to the Mashable Effect (Mashable mentions your site and Mashable’s numerous and eager fans all flock to the site at the same time. This overloads the site causing it to crash or load very slowly).
However, there are a few barriers to success. Zingr requires a download and only works in Firefox. Miracle Whip decided to launch a beta version, but made it accessible to everyone instead of just a few special testers. Users have already posted issues to the fan page. Currently, one of the main issues is that it’s not working on Macs. Experiencing errors and having to read long posts about how to use what should be a simple application could turn users off and halt the hype before it really takes off.
Miracle Whip definitely has the first mover advantage with the launch of Zingr. However, do they have the right balance of ‘speed to market’ vs. ‘perfected product’? Let us know your thoughts and tell us about your experience with Zingr by leaving a comment below.
--Marina Molenda
