Which came first the spin or the egg?

The egg* recall has, to some, shown a flaw in a national system to others it has highlighted the positive in the local system. We can appreciate most of the news stories as we endeavor to protect our families. There can be a kind of community in a shared fear. The reality is that eggs were maybe going to take a back seat on the old shopping list. Monitoring the growing recall list as newscasters speak in hushed tones and point dramatically at charts and maps—suddenly you wonder if there is poison in your very refrigerator.

The ding of the email caught my attention and I opened the new message. It was from an Eggland’s Best representative. I immediately remembered joking with their people in the BlogHer Expo. They really were genuine and listened, a rarity in some of those sponsored booths. The email was a succinct update on the relationship between Eggland’s Best and the egg recall, namely that there isn’t one.

Lainie Fiszer, the woman from Eggland’s Best who sent the email, quickly shared the key points:

• EB eggs are safe
• EB eggs are not produced in Iowa
• EB has the most comprehensive food safety quality assurance program
  and will never compromise when it comes to consumer safety

I’d like to believe the 3^rd bullet is a given, but the first two, those two spoke to me. I felt good knowing that the eggs in my fridge bore the cheerful red EB stamp. I felt lucky to be on the list, in-the-know and I felt gratitude. I responded to the email and let Lainie know that I would be blogging about this.

I told my family.

I emailed a friend.

I reaffirmed my commitment to the brand.

I played a role in the power of a relationship established via a social media mechanism—BlogHer + blogging  + Twitter. 

Eggland’s Best isn’t breaking new ground, they are simply using tools effectively. They found a receptive audience in women at BlogHer, they figured out how, where and when their audience wants to be addressed and, most importantly, they identified something that had huge significance to their audience, their brand and beyond, then, they acted. Swiftly, effectively and memorably.

I will buy Eggland’s Best, I will recommend it to others and I will retell this story again and again. That, is the power that can be found in social media.

Don’t fear it, use it. 

*Random mostly unrelated link that could not not share. See why.