1. The Dark Side of
Social Media
{ ‚Icing‛
Julia Malawer
338-002

2. - Encourage copycat
behavior
- Endorses actions that
are not in the best
interest of the
consumer.
- Smirnoff ‚Icing‛ game

3. Questions Posed
Is ‚Icing‛ a good marketing idea?
Icing is not a good marketing idea for an alcohol company.
The risk factor is too great.
Would you ‘play’?
I would not play this game only because I wouldn’t want to
chug alcohol. However, for those who don’t mind doing so, I
understand how this could be a fun game.

4. Questions Posed
Is that kind of game a good idea for alcohol industries?
‚No company – not even one that sells alcohol – wants to be
seen as encouraging binge drinking.‛
- Promoting any kind of drinking game is risky for because it
implies the abuse of alcohol.
For other industries?
Yes, but it depends on the product and the risk factors
involved.

5. - Who really started this game – the consumer or
the company?
- If it was the company, how did they get it going
viral without it being obvious they initiated it?
- What other brands have done similar things to
promote their product?

6. Personal Experience

7. - Be aware of actions and their consequences.
- Social media campaign will resonate with broader issues in
cultures in a positive or negative way
- Same in personal life.

8. Works Cited
Tuten, Tracy L., and Michael R. Solomon. ‚The Dark Side of Social
Media.‛ Social Media Marketing. Boston: Pearson, 2013. 37. Print.