Pro-Ellen ralliers surpass One Million Moms on Facebook [View all]

[jumptheshadow]

Safe to say Ellen DeGeneres has won this round. After conservative Christian group One Million Moms railed against J.C. Penney for hiring the lesbian talk-show host as a spokesperson, DeGeneres addressed them on her show, quipping, “Not that there’s anyone counting, but for a group that calls themselves the Million Moms, they only have 40,000 members on their page.”J.C. Penney stood by DeGeneres, and even conservative TV host Bill O’Reilly voiced his support for the comedian. Now Facebook fans have validated the retailer for sticking to their guns.

Since yesterday, a group called 1 Million People Who Support Ellen for J.C. Penney has popped up, far surpassing the support of One Million Moms’ Facebook “Likes” (now 42,634). As of press time, 1 Million People has 80,244 members and gaining. According to founder Cathie Winter Miller, the group only had 38 “Likes” yesterday, and a recent check of the group’s page showed pages upon pages of Team Ellen comments in the last 20 minutes alone.

http://popwatch.ew.com/2012/02/10/pro-ellen-ralliers-one-million-moms-facebook/

And the "Occupy One Million Moms" movement continues. Protestors of the organization's policies continue to post on its Facebook page at a faster rate than OMM can delete the comments.

I am now wondering if J.C. Penney anticipated this when they hired Ellen. If so, they have unleashed a brilliant viral marketing campaign and a sure-fire way to revive a brand many had perceived as "dowdy."