Rather than face an even bigger backlash, Duncan Hines pulled the ad from its YouTube and Facebook pages. Nevertheless, the brand’s Facebook presence and website are clearly garnering positive attention, and the incidents show the perils and plusses of viral video in this instant social media feedback age.

YouTube

The Duncan Hines’s Amazing Glazes channel on YouTube has been stripped down to only one video, an innocuous spot about a mom’s super powers. Before they were pulled down, we caught two other videos, both humorous and fun to watch.

The first video, which had been viewed nearly 63,000 times, follows the story of a woman who is a glaze-aholic. After experimenting with Amazing Glazes, she finds herself putting the topping on every single dessert she makes. Soon, however, the obsession spreads to other foods, including vegetables. The addiction reaches its apex when she pours the glaze on her restaurant meal, and then, to the horror of her friend, on her friend’s food as though it was the most natural thing in the world. Finally, she admits that she is, in fact, addicted to Amazing Glazes.

The second video, watched approximately 10,000 times, follows a young couple and their “baby chef.” Suddenly called upon to host dessert for her husband’s boss, the wife is at a loss for how to put the finishing touches on her sweets, when her baby, donning a chef’s hat, pulls the Amazing Glazes off the shelf and hands it to her, saving the day.

Duncan Hines is clearly a hit with fans on its Facebook page. With more than 46,000 people who “like” the page, the incredibly involved and enthusiastic moderator has generated a loyal and involved fan base. Each comment or question the moderator puts forward generates a response, and not just a tepid one. When the moderator asks fans “Fruitcakes for Christmas gifts: for or against?” he receives a whopping 128 responses. And when he asks “What are you making for Christmas?” his question garners 98 replies.

The moderator responds to every point and encourages fans to be creative, and the 260 photos of fans’ desserts attest to the page’s success.

As for the missing videos, I asked the moderator what happened to them and he responded as follows: "Hi Chana, we've cycled out the videos as we get ready to refresh them for the new year. We'll be updating our Facebook page today. Thank you for your note!" Friendly and responsive as ever, yet it is surprising that the ads, which are relatively new, are being phased out so soon. Perhaps they are simply being tweaked to be completely controversial-free. In any event, shortly after my comment appeared, all traces of the videos disappeared, including the Glazes tab on the top of the page.

WEBSITE

The Duncan Hines website is colorful, engaging, and most importantly, makes mouths water. Three alternating dessert products are featured prominently at the top of the homepage, each with a recipe that can be accessed by a quick click. The page itself is divided into six sections, including a corner with recent Facebook posts and a link to that page, an option to join the Duncan Hines Baker’s Club accompanied by recipes contributed by members, and, in the center, a picture of a (not controversial) video for the brand’s line of Amazing Glazes that presently cannot be viewed.

The Duncan Hines brand is best known for its cake and brownie mixes, but it also offers cookie and whole grain muffin mixes, frostings, frozen brownies, glazes, and snack size products. The site contains dozens of recipes and filters them by type and occasion. The Baker’s Club encourages involvement in the site and the Baking Tips are certain to come in handy for many Duncan Hines fans.

The Duncan Hines marketing team needs to brainstorm a quick and appropriate resolution to its current Amazing Glazes advertising conundrum. Still, with the brand’s strong Facebook presence and engaging website, Duncan Hines is primed to weather the storm in the kitchen, and hopefully, beyond.