In case you need a reminder about how marketing is no longer in the control of the corporate marketing department, I present to you: EZ Chicken.

Panera Bread, in conjunction with their marketing agency Cramer-Krasselt, recently launched a campaign to announce Panera’s move toward using only antibiotic-free chicken.

Their tagline – “The road to switching to antibiotic-free isn’t an easy one. But it sure is tasty.” – seems solid, right? The problem comes in when they start to reinforce the message via social media. The Twitter account @EZChicken (since removed) posted insulting messages, accusing our nation’s farmers of being lazy. Obviously, this did not sit well with the farmers nor with anyone who understands anything about how difficult a farmer’s life is.

Do a quick Google search or just go to Panera’s Facebook page and see just how quickly a firestorm can erupt. And please, the next time you want to launch an insulting ad campaign, don’t.