By, Emma Stevens
If you have a Twitter account, or you are a big fan of fast food, you are no doubt aware of the epic Twitter battles between Wendy’s and many of the other fast food outlets. These sassy Twitter exchanges have skyrocketed Wendy’s profile, and the publicity about them has hit every angle of media. Blogs and news articles have spread the message and retweets abound. Wendy’s brassy 240 character tweets have become a PR professional’s dream.
Because of the very clever Amy Brown behind the tweets, Wendy’s has become famous for its quick comebacks and engagement with consumers and competitors. People are engaging with the company in a way that PR professionals can only dream about, because Wendy’s has been humanized. The fast food restaurant has morphed from just another fast food outlet into a strong, fiery character who isn’t afraid to roast anyone. Wendy’s is using genius public relations work and crushing the twittersphere.
Forbes Agency Council published an article titled, “Eight unique PR tactics that are sure to grab your attention.” The company emphasizes creativity and “out of the box” thinking, which I believe Wendy’s has accomplished with its twitter campaign.
Number 1 on Forbes’ list is “Ban something.” In other words, participate in cancel culture. Wendy’s uses its bold tone to throw shade at their competitors, as well as anyone who asks to be roasted. An example of this is when a twitter account tweeted “@Wendys can you find me the nearest Mcdonalds.” Wendy replied with a photo of a trash can, implying McDonalds was trash. Users loved it. As Forbes states, “users love controversy,” and Wendy’s is stirring the pot.
Additionally, Forbes advises, “Create a signature move.” Wendy’s understands that every corporation has a twitter account posting very similar content. Consumers tend to only follow a business account if they are a HUGE fan of the company or that company is posting interesting and engaging content. Anyone can post a stagnant tweet about upcoming products, but not everyone can come up with witty comebacks consistently…and Wendy’s does! For instance, I don’t eat fast food, but I follow Wendy’s because it makes me laugh. I tell other people about the twitter war, people who do eat fast food, and I have no doubt this very successful campaign influences their choices.
Forbes suggests, “Don’t do things to scale. Do something personal that takes time.” Thinking up creative, shocking and up-to-date tweets is a time-consuming task, but the payoff has been astronomical. Wendy’s now has 3.5 million followers and its best engagement resulted from its aggressive and amusing reply tweets. By comparison, Burger King has only 1.8 million followers.
Lastly, Forbe highlights “create a debate.” Forbes states, “when you’re doing PR, it’s most important to create controversy around the story you are telling.” You need to create the “perfect storm” (Forbes) for your company. Wendy’s accomplished this. Nobody is safe from Wendy’s twitter wrath and consumers love it. Whether it is a debate over whether their meat is frozen or not, or a snappy call out, each tweet is expected to get thousands of likes and retweets.
My opinion is to begin with research: get to know your target audience for the campaign you are working on and use the media that will work the most effectively. Wendy’s has fully grasped how to use Twitter. The company has found its niche, which is roasting other tweets and posting “savage” tweets. Although I would not recommend this precise strategy to every PR professional, it’s a great example of the out-of-the-box thinking required by today’s PR work.
Referenced in the article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2016/05/13/eight-unique-pr-tactics-that-are-sure-to-grab-your-audiences-attention/#6a8dddd120c1
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