Who Runs the CIA's Instagram?

Plus an example of great community management, Nat Geo's riveting TikTok, and more.

Hi everyone! I’m in NY for lots of fun stuff this week. I’ve already had a perfect pizza from Leo, two scoops of stracciatella from Gelateria Gentile, and an amazing dinner at Lord’s.

In today’s Logged On we are going to be covering:

• King Arthur Baking’s excellent community management

• The NPR employee whose TikToks are going to make me listen to Up First

• Social managers saying bye on the brand account

• That CIA post

• Brand’s tweeting gibberish

• Ariana 🤝 Duracell

• Edie Parker Flower’s very fun Reel

• Nat Geo’s perfect TikTok

• J.Crew launched a virtual store???

Let’s dive in!

Why Community Management is Important

King Arthur Baking Company

King Arthur Baking Company on Instagram: ”“As a kid, I obsessively stuffed my face with my grandma’s pillowy steamed scallion buns in the comfort of our Midwestern kitchen, but never anywhere else. It was the kind of dish that felt “foreign” and therefore not worthy in the presence of my friends or in the context of what I saw as American food. Cooking these scallion buns proudly is an acknowledgment of all the parts of my identity that I’ve kept hidden in the past. From being Asian to being proudly queer, loving my food has been the bridge for allowing me to love myself.” - Frankie Gaw @littlefatboyfrankie Get Frankie’s recipe for Scallion Buns at the link in our profile >> @kingarthurbaking”

June 6, 2023

Last week King Arthur Baking posted a recipe from Frankie Gaw with a pull quote that read, “From being Asian to being proudly queer, loving my food has been the bridge for allowing me to love myself.”

While the majority of comments were positive, there were a few hateful “stick to food!”-type comments. Instead of ignoring them (like most brands unfortunately do), King Arthur Baking took the opportunity to respond and educate in the comment section. (Shout out to reader Bronwen Wyatt for pointing this out!)

When a user commented, “‘From being Italian-American to being proudly hetero, loving my food has been the bridge for allowing me to love myself.’” The Team at King Arthur quickly responded “We're so glad to hear you're embracing your identity! It's sad that you had to hide it for so long, but learning to live your life in spite of social and legislative pressure and finding a group of people who love you for your whole self is such an amazing accomplishment. Well done! 💛 -👩‍🍳Kat”

Another user commented, “why do you feel the need to shove you‘re queerness/gayness in the faces of everyone? it’s so unnecessary. nobody really cares about your sexual orientation… not even the companies who jumped on the bandwagon and pretend to care…” To which King Arthur responded, “Our focus isn't on sexual preference, but instead people being able to live authentically as who they are. Our team does firmly believe that there's a connection between wholeness, safety, acceptance, and baking. Though we recognize that they're often brought up in political conversation — as almost any subject of substance is nowadays — they're human rights, which are beyond politics. -🍮Nicole”

A big mistake I see a lot of brands make, especially recently, is that they’ll stand up for what they believe in with a post—and then cower in the comments. As a brand, when you post something that you know will likely attract hateful comments, it’s your job to have a plan for how you will moderate and respond to them. When you elevate any story as a big brand, it is your job to make sure the comments section is productive, inclusive, and safe.

This type of community management also lets customers know that you really mean what you say. One person commented, “Between this incredible, authentic representation and your fervent support in the comments section, I will no longer be entertaining any other flour brands in my gay kitchen. Long live the King!”