No hyperbole, Beyoncé runs the media. According to Red Lobster spokesperson Erica Ettori, Red Lobster’s sales increased and the company was trending on Twitter for the first time ever a day after being mentioned in Beyoncé’s song “Formation.”
In the song, which was released a day before her Internet breaking Super Bowl 50 performance, Beyoncé sings “When he f*ck me good I take his ass to Red Lobster, cause I slay.” It seems people must have shared her same reward system, because the Red Lobster brand was mentioned 42,000 times in an hour. For perspective, the fourth episode of the new X-Files mini-series that aired on February 8 generated 42,000 tweets as well, but over a seven-hour time frame.
While there may have been a sudden influx of Cheddar Bay Biscuits being consumed, all of the attention was not positive. Beyoncé released “Formation” before 4:00 pm ET on Saturday with Red Lobster’s semi-witty response coming nearly eight hours later. The responses to such tardiness by social media standards are counted towards those 42,000 mentions, but they’re not pretty.
@redlobster yall had hours and this is what yall come up with? pic.twitter.com/DY2jO6y9Ti
— E. (@ErykahTbh) February 7, 2016
Late. @redlobster pic.twitter.com/mHqS6BpT11
— A. (@FreshAir_In) February 7, 2016
@redlobster you’ve been gone for hours and this is the best marketing your people can do? somebody is getting FIRED.
— J (@surfbortx) February 7, 2016
The power Beyoncé yields can not only bring a swarm of the Bey Hive to Twitter but also to the register. Ettori stated Red Lobster sales were up 33 percent on Sunday compared to the same day last year. This is a great boost for a company that was on the decline not too long ago. Sales declined between 2012 and 2014, with 2014 seeing a six-percent drop compared to the previous year. The 48-year-old seafood establishment was sold by parent company Darden Restaurants to Golden Gate Capital for $2.1 billion in May 2014.
The moral of today’s story in Twitter economics is simple. When a woman worth $450 million says “I might just be a black Bill Gates in the making,” in a song, do not question her, just follow.
