Food additive Diacetyl has been used for years to give microwave popcorn its “buttery” flavor. Eaten in normal quantities, diacetyl has no negative health effects. If, however, someone were to eat multiple bags of popcorn every day for years, diacetyl could create health problems.

Such was the case in October 2007, when a man who had eaten several bags of microwave popcorn each day for years, filed a law suit against ConAgra, claiming that he had become ill due to the presence of diacetyl in his popcorn.

ConAgra contacted Netplus late on a Friday afternoon to develop and implement the online component of a comprehensive crisis response plan. We immediately assembled a cross-discipline team which worked through the weekend to design, program, and launch the microsite popcornfacts.com.

The response effort also included search engine marketing and search engine optimization programs to provide proactive, accurate and timely information for concerned consumers. Rounding out the campaign was a blogger outreach program which focused on contacting thought leaders in the food blogging community.

Results: Our quick and effective actions helped minimize negative impact on sales, preserved ConAgra’s credibility with its trade customers and consumers, and opened a channel with online thought leaders.

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