Snarky brand reactions ran the feed a decade ago, but brands who continue to follow this playbook risk missing the mark in the current social landscape.
The TL;DR: A recent reactive post from couch company LoveSac has stirred the pot as the company faces massive backlash for its response to complaints. While this type of reaction may have done numbers 10 years ago, it doesn’t resonate the same way today - at least not in the way they intended.
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Is old social dead for brands? That case may be building after the recent backfire of a reactive post. Taking it back to 2017 - Wendy’s had just taken over the internet with their savage roasts of followers and fans alike. It was something new, niche, and fresh (never frozen) to the social space. I mean a brand roasting people? That’s a risk, but it worked. And then everyone did it. Now users have grown tired of watching brands chase the high of old social.
Lovesac most recently fell into this trap with a reactive post. Comedian Deric Cahilll posted a reel to his 1.3M followers on Instagram showcasing the process he had to go through to assemble his LoveSac couch, and the shortcomings of that process. The Reel has over 11 million views and 14k+ comments. The video was meant to be funny and the audience laughed alongside him. LoveSac saw the video’s traction and posted a response 3 days later.
Instead of offering help or compensation, LoveSac responded with their own comedic video, showing a girl zipping her couch covers closed with the art copy, “This and not getting the ick from a grown man needing tiny little gloves to assemble a couch”. It fell incredibly flat. The CEO of LoveSac, Shawn Nelson, then doubled down on posting on his TikTok account announcing that Deric was in fact eligible for compensation for new “size small floral print gardening gloves.” This personal attack and defensive reaction drove users to comment with their own LoveSac construction horror stories and shared they wouldn’t shop at LoveSac in the future.
Not every viral moment needs a response. When they do, stay humble. Take the feedback and avoid defensive personal attacks - especially when in response to valid criticism from your customers. Take Levi’s during the 2026 World Cup. After their branding on Levi’s Stadium was covered to adhere to FIFA standards they reacted but by poking fun at themselves, a post that now has over 2.5M likes. When Kit-Kat lost 12 metric tons of their chocolate. They created a “Stolen Kit-Kat tracker”, and stirred the conversation in a way they were able to control. Through their reactive posts they were able to turn a serious brand dilemma into a social stunt.
This is the shift away from the old social playbook. While roasting got fans curious back then, those days are behind us. Users have become increasingly fed up with brands on social, insert silence brand meme, and when a brand begins putting negativity out onto the feed it only intensifies the negative sentiment they’ll receive back.
A snapshot of buzz-worthy communities and fandoms to guide community engagement
🤍 Beloved Dolly Parton has sadly passed
What’s Going On: Dolly Parton passed away on Tuesday, August 25, at 80 years old. Brin Seaver, son of Cassie Parton, broke the news on Dolly’s Instagram through a video paying tribute to all of Dolly’s feats and achievements. Many have taken to social to express their sadness, share their memories of Dolly and the wonderful impact she made on this world.
🎃☕ Pumpkin Spice Latte is back
What’s Going On: Starbucks brought back their fall menu including Pumpkin Spice on August 25. Leading up to the release, Starbucks teased on socials, creating a burner account for PSL, then announced the return with Martha Stewart and Belmont Cameli.
🎾 Tennis Tournament Szn
What’s Going On: The US Open began on August 24 and runs until September 14. This tournament closely followed the conclusion of the Cincinnati Open final on August 23, where Coco Gauff and Arthur Fils won the titles and made history. Gauff is now the third woman to win the Cincinnati Open twice and Fils is the first Frenchman to win since Guy Forget in 1991. The final match against Fils and Tiafoe was the first ATP Masters 1000 final featuring two Black players.
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TV/Streaming - Season 2 of Adults premieres on August 27 on Hulu, as well as season 2 of Leanne on Netflix
Movies - Finding Emily, Idiots, and The Salt Path come to theaters August 28
Music - I Must Be Dreaming by Alabama Shakes, Don't Look Down by Rod Wave, So Much for Goodbyes by Billy Strings, and Wildchild by Alex Warren are all releasing on August 28
