Did the Jack Box campaign not have a payoff?

I've already noted that from a consumer aspect, the month-long "Jack got hit by a bus" Jack in the Box campaign didn't seem satisfying.

Sign On San Diego noted that it may not have been satisfying from a financial aspect either.

Several advertising professionals wonder whether Jack in the Box will get a return on its investment in the campaign. Shel Horowitz, who runs FrugalMarketing.com, estimated that if half of the people following Jack's woes on Twitter became new customers, each would have to buy 850 burgers to cover the cost of the campaign.

“I don't see it paying off,” Horowitz said.

And Dan Curran of NGAGE stated that the campaign had all of the surface veneer of a social media campaign, but none of the substance. (As a competitor once said, "Where the beef?")

Curran, who has conducted online campaigns for Hanes underwear and Scottrade, said Jack in the Box and other companies are rushing into social media campaigns to appear hip by throwing money at buzzwords.

“Pushing content at consumers from a Web site or using social media is still utilizing a 50-year-old business model,” he said. “It's Web 1.0, not Web 2.0.”

More here.