• by Daisy Whitney , Op-Ed Contributor, June 5, 2012

What do you do when The Onion spoofs your brand?

Go with it.

That’s what Tide did this weekend in response to a fake Onion editorial about a fictional Tide viral video starring Bret Michaels singing about the laundry detergent. “This Tide detergent video has got to be the hottest thing on the web right now!” The fake op-ed said. “I know most of you have probably watched this Tide detergent clip dozens of times already because it went viral so quickly, but if you haven't, then trust me on this one, you have got to see it.”

The brand took advantage of the golden opportunity and actually made the fake video -- although with an actor playing Bret Michaels instead. On its Facebook page, Tide explained its modus operandi: “A humor newspaper made a joke about us this week so we thought we’d join in the fun and make the video. What do you think?”

The Facebook post had generated 13 comments and more than 100 likes three days later, with the video logging more than 2400 views. Those aren’t high figures, but I’m guessing it didn’t cost much to make the video (a few bucks?) and that Tide will clean up -- pun intended -- in industry lore.

It’s the sort of story that will be talked about within the ad community as a smart response to a spoof. It shows the brand doesn’t take itself too seriously and that it knows how to have fun -- and by golly, that’s what I want from my detergent.