This is a tough position. An innocent product, Smarties candies, gets used by some in a non-innocent way. Kids are crunching up the little sugary disks, sucking them in their mouths which turns into smoke Yeah a little confectionery Puff the Magic Dragon action going on for fifth graders.

The wacky experiment/stunt has other connotations that swirl around in parents’ heads, like; “today you’re puffing Smarties, tomorrow it’s a Michael Phelps bong and before you know you’ll be like Crackhead Bob.” Yes it’s not a logical progression I admit, but sometimes parents (including me) get illogical when they see kids huddled around the computer watching YouTube videos suggested to them by someone on Penguin Club about smoking Smarties. And the way some of those videos are portrayed it’s not as if the connection to smoking other items is so far fetched. Reminder: I didn’t say this was logical, I do say it’s a PR reality which is difficult to deny.

So what should the company that produces Smarties do? This issue has gone beyond “YouTube” and into mainstream media with all the hysteria that brings. In this Fox News piece, Smarties has a response statement, but on the Smarties website NOTHING. The days of the one channel, one media outlet statement are over in PR. You can’t make a story go away by believing that only the viewers of that particular program have seen the piece. It takes a lot longer and lot more luck to “Duck” a news cycle if the issue is on social media.

My recommendation is address this issue on their home page at the very least. If they want to be bolder and use the same channels being used to promote the smoking of Smarties that would be even better. The tone of their message need not rise to the level of severity as the Fox News piece. They could approach it with some humor so kids will pay attention, and a serious side so that parents will appreciate that the company is aware of situation.

Come on Smarties, get on YouTube with something creative not just some suit, talking head reading a statement written by legal.

The other tactic is do nothing, hey this has been around for a while, the more popular Smoking Smarties YouTube video was posted in December 2007. It will go away from mainstream media for sure, but you can bet the long tail of the web will have next year’s crop of fifth graders jonesin for their hit of Smarties.