Controversy Pushes Toys “R” Us to Top of the RSJI
Two brands proved that the green plus signs and red minus signs are not always so straight forward on our Retail Social Juice Index(RSJI). Heightened engagement doesn’t necessarily equal positive engagement, and slow days on social platforms are not the end of the world!
Toys “R” Us took the top spot on the RSJI and confirmed that not all major spikes are a good thing. The brand earned one of the biggest score increases since the Index’s inception when its score rose from 48 to 1176! But, just like we’ve seen in the past as other brands have skyrocketed up the Index, Toys “R” Us’ move to the top of the RSJI was laced with controversy.
An alleged scam was posted to the United Kingdom’s Toys “R” Us Facebook wall. A liker thanked the brand for giving a free teddy bear to his child with cancer and suggested the free gift helped the patient beat the disease. Other fans were quick to point out that they believed the story was false. Whether the toy retailer was victim of the scam or responsible for the post remains unknown, but the public outcry over the scenario was overwhelming. Fans took to the American Toys “R” Us Facebook Timeline: some defending the brand, but most berating it. Those posts went on to receive 450,000+ likes and 21,000+ comments—causing the retailer to shoot up the Index.
At this point, the retailer is claiming its innocence and stating it has nothing to do with the original post, but the damage has been done. Likely, time will work in the brand’s favor, as we’ve witnessed with other brands in similar situations. In fact, after only one day, the brand’s score had already decreased by 438 points, evidence of the hysteria beginning to die down.
Just like Toys “R” Us proved that not all RSJI spikes are for positive reasons, one of this week’s biggest movers made it evident that not all dips are necessarily negative! After an extremely successful showing last week, Tacori took a few days off of social for Labor Day weekend. As a result, the brand’s RSJI score dipped down—but no need for panic, as a few days later the jeweler shot right up the Index again!
Rounding out the Big Movers This Week was The Foundary. The brand utilized an effective strategy for amping up participation: it showed a photo and asked likers to share the first word that popped in their heads.
Will your brand earn a spot on next week’s Big Movers? Be sure to check back daily for your brand’s updated score!
