Nutella sends cease-and-desist letter to its biggest fan

Nutella, the chocolate hazelnut spread brand, has soured many of its social media fans by cracking down on a superfan who has helped spread the word in social media for more than seven years.

Ferrero SpA, the Italian owner of Nutella, has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Sara Rosso, the creator of the 7-year-old World Nutella Day. On Ferrero’s orders, Rosso is pulling the plug on the holiday, which had been celebrated on Feb. 5.

“The cease-and-desist letter was a bit of a surprise and a disappointment, as over the years I’ve had contact and positive experiences with several employees of Ferrero, SpA., and with their public relations and brand strategy consultants, and I’ve always tried to collaborate and work together in the spirit and goodwill of a fan-run celebration of a spread I (to this day) still eat,” Rosso wrote on her blog.

Reps from Ferrero could not be reached for comment. So far the brand hasn’t addressed the situation on its Facebook page, which has become a sounding board for fans who are disgusted by the move. (Those comments are interspersed with fans who ignored the controversy and continued to rapturously sing the praises of the spread.)

Up until now Ferrero has taken a hands-off approach to its social media outreach. The strategy has worked: Nutella was once the No. 3 brand on Facebook. In 2009, Rosso offered her theory on Nutella’s appeal: “The Europeans eat it and therefore, it can’t be all that bad. I also think most people who are passionate about it equate it with a memory they had while traveling, and that reinforces the cult/smaller usage of Nutella in the U.S. because of those that have traveled to Europe. They then transmit this energy and enthusiasm to their family and friends back home.” (from www.mashable.com)