Jollibee is my childhood hero. Though I’m not a big fan of fast food, I crave for the regular yum, spaghetti and chicken joy every once in awhile. Up to now, there are very few Asian (except Japanese) brands that become “global brands.”  And for the Philippines, Jollibee is one brand that the country can be globally proud of and call its own.

I visited home 2 weeks ago and was so sad when the Jollibee outlet I visited had no chicken and spaghetti available. At some point, I really thought there was no sense of going home at all. Haha. Ok, that was an exaggeration but the trip did feel incomplete.

Then when I went back to work, I noticed that my newsfeed was flooding with #ChickenSad hashtags. That’s when I realized I was not alone, and it was the whole country feeling sad [or mad ?] having no Chickenjoy at all. According to Rappler, a major IT system change was to be blamed for the lack of the popular Chickenjoy in Jollibee stores. The change affected the fast food giant’s inventory and delivery system, forcing 72 stores to close.

“Wala na nga kong syota, wala pang Chicken Joy” (@vincentgamayo, 2014) #ChickenSad

— Lian Buan (@liannami) August 9, 2014

Translation: “I don’t have a boyfriend, now I can’t even have Chickenjoy.”

Filipinos take Chickenjoy seriously. Chickenjoy isnt just chicken, it’s a way of life #ChickenSad #iMissChickenjoy #andJollySpaghetti

— Leighbendita (@leighbendita) August 9, 2014

Wala daw ma serve kasi nag update ng system… ano yung manok nyo piniprint? #ChickenSad — Chester Equipado (@NinjaNurse29) August 9, 2014

Translation: “They don’t serve anything cause they’re updating their system….are they printing chicken?”  

teka last week nakabili pa ako ng isang bucket ng Chicken joy ahhh ano nangyari #Chickensad — IamTUNGSTEN (@IamXENON09) August 7, 2014

Translation: Wait, I was able to buy a bucket of Chicken joy last week. What just happened?

sana pala pinicturan ko ung huling kain ko ng chicken joy last Saturday (Aug 2) baka yun na talaga yung last #chickensad @Jollibee — Claire Amores (@ImYourAmores) August 7, 2014

Translation: “I should’ve taken a photo of the last chicken joy I’ve eaten on Saturday (Aug 2). Maybe it’s really going to be the last.”

Some panicked and called the police.

@PNPhotline Help! Hanggang Ngayon po wala pang Chicken Joy samin!!!!!!! #ChickenSad — bernard francisco (@bsfrancis) August 9, 2014

Translation: “(Police Twitter Handle) Help! Until now, we don’t have Chicken Joy, sir.”

Some just reenacted the BTS.

[ARTIST SKETCH] The backroom drama about #ChickenSad pic.twitter.com/dRd1oMBa9q — Tonyo Cruz (@tonyocruz) August 10, 2014

Some turned into entrepreneurs.

“CHICKEN JOY (2PC, W/ GRAVY AND RICE) MEET UPS ONLY P2,595 BUY NA MGA SIS HAHAHAHAHAHAAHA pic.twitter.com/SoKjpqvXQK” #ChickenSad” — ★ Captain amERIKA ★ (@akireyam010xD) August 10, 2014

Selling chickenjoy for P500 a piece. Extra gravy for P100. Call me if you need a fix. #ChickenSad #BlackMarketJollibee — Gino Rosales (@ginorosales) August 9, 2014

Communities in some universities jumped to learn from the issue right away.

NERDS will rule the world. | Jollibee #ChickenSad – An IT Management Case Study http://t.co/jGl5yhElBG pic.twitter.com/7hg1jyyrCa — One Mapúa (@OneMapua) August 12, 2014

And the OFWs participated in the fun.

No #chickenSad in Jollibee Singapore pic.twitter.com/3s1pcYSioB

— pez de leon (@pezdeleon) August 15, 2014

But as expected, some brands will just take advantage of a competitor’s crisis. I’ve seen this becoming a trend and brands are not just trendjacking, they’re even crisis-jacking (trying my luck if there’s such word). But for this one, they chickened out and deleted the post. Read Marketing Interactive’s write up on this.

How did Jollibee handle the crisis on social? They responded on every negative tweet that they received.

@MissSmartAssMe We’re sorry for the inconvenience. Some stores are operating w/ a limited menu as we are currently upgrading our systems. — Jollibee (@Jollibee) August 18, 2014

And…today, told you how much they missed you.

@albert_ice Na miss din kita, Albert! How was your meal? Was it good? 😉 — Jollibee (@Jollibee) August 19, 2014

I admit it. I had so much fun reading conversations on #chickensad but to be honest, this is a crisis turned out as a good publicity.This is my favorite post- The 8 stages of Grief. And here are some of my takeaways:

• The strong affiliation of Jollibee as a brand to the lives of Filipinos has been proven

• Just like what happened to Globe Telecom a couple of years ago, lack of communication or not informing the consumer on an upcoming upgrade will either make or break the brand.

• Competitors or other brands tend to jump in conversations to take advantage of a brand’s lowest point during a crisis (So you better be ready to fight back!). 

But today, no more #ChickenSad. #HaySalamat! (“Hay” is a Filipino expression for “relief.” “Salamat”is thank you). I think below is a better move from a brand (Globe Telecom).

#HaySalamat it’s coming back! Hindi ka na #ChickenSad. pic.twitter.com/ODh9B0DHkH

— Globe Telecom (@enjoyGLOBE) August 15, 2014

 

#HaySalamat it’s coming back. No more #chickensad, wala ng diet!!! Ok fine, no rice. #TGIF pic.twitter.com/ETkwFaMq5b — Tin Gamboa (@suzy899) August 15, 2014