The coca-cola company pulled a uK internet promotion campaign after parents accused it of targeting children by using references to a notorious pornographic movie. as part of its efforts to reach young social media users for its dr Pepper brand, the company took over consenting users’ facebook status boxes. Then, the company would post mildly embarrassing questions such as ‘Lost my special blankie. how will i go sleepies?’, and ‘What’s wrong with peeing in the shower?’. But when a parent discovered that her 14-year-old daughter’s profile had been updated with a message that directly referred to a hardcore porn film, the plan backfired and coke had to pull the promotion. 132 What does it take to get the attention of jaded young people, who get exposed to all kinds of messages in cyberspace?

What guidelines (if any) should marketers follow when they try to talk to young people on social media platforms?