As social media has evolved, it has offered a venue for brands to use to reach a whole new audience. But with this responsibility, these brands are tasked with discovering their own niche within this social media universe and determining how and what to post in order to reach their desired audience. We chose Wendy’s because their tweets are famous. Not only do they have the most retweeted tweet of all time, but there have also been articles written about how their social media presence is doing wonders to not only garner interaction and a following, but it is also benefiting their business model as a whole.
One of the interesting things about Wendy’s is that their social media accounts are split into two distinct categories: “Wendy’s the Savage and Normal Corporate Company” (Morris). Their savage accounts include Twitter, Reddit, and their mixtape entitled “We Beefin?” (available on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Play). These accounts are focused on reaching the teenage/college demographic. Brands have come to realize that, at least for fast food, a huge portion of their clientele is this Millenial/Generation X demographic. Therefore, they have gone about speaking on their social media accounts the way that these kids would speak to their friends, choosing to roast their competition, such as McDonald’s, Burger King, and even their own followers (Gould-Bourn). This promotes a sense of familiarity and loyalty to the brand. Wendy’s “is a major driver of this trend, frequently dishing out direct, cheeky jabs at competitors and developing an off-the-cuff voice online” (Koltun). To give you an idea of some of the unbelievable numbers Wendy’s has accomplished with its newfound social media identity, it’s #NuggsForCarter campaign became the most retweeted tweet in history with over 3.4 million retweets, its “mixtape of diss tracks that scored 758 million earned media impressions” and “earning nearly 1 million new Twitter followers so far this year, as well as a 113% jump in social media mentions” (Koltun). Additionally, the company’s increased social media participation led to a subsequent increase of $64 million in 2017 (49.7% profit growth) (Eriksen).
Carl Loredo, the VP of brand and advertising at Wendy’s says, “I think what’s important for us and our team is to try to find new and innovative ways to continue to tell our story. It’s a very, very, very cluttered marketplace out there as you think of all the messages that are coming to us … We have to find ways to break through” (Hardy). Interestingly enough, Wendy’s indicates that one of the keys to its success is the lack of approval required for social media posts (Cheng). Apparently, the freedom to roam and post whatever comes to mind has been the game changer for the company. However, Wendy’s emphasizes that their social media presence is about more than earning money and fame, but that “connecting with social media users means living the founder’s philosophy of embracing controversy and tension to capitalize on cultural conversations and speaking to people on a human level, which includes merging the brand’s social voice with its broadcast and corporate voice to carry across platforms” (Koltun).
On the other side are the normal corporate accounts including Instagram and YouTube. These accounts are your typical fast food chain social media accounts and showcases the pretty pictures and videos you would expect from a typical chain. Wendy’s Instagram and YouTube accounts lack the witty and sarcastic voice of their more savage counterparts, focusing on the deals and promotions available at their restaurants rather than making it a point to interact with fans. In fact, the savage accounts are heavy on crowd interaction, while the corporate accounts take little part in this practice. On Instagram, the fast-food company sticks to “presenting themselves as cool and modern through their aesthetic feed and creative pictures” (Morris). They are very professional with their Instagram content, posting high quality pictures and staying in their lane. YouTube is “where Wendy’s finds common ground between the savage Twitter and the clean Instagram” by uploading “short videos that are a lot like ads you would see on TV to promote the restaurant chain. The videos have the aesthetic feel of the company Instagram but a lot of them keep with the theme of roasting McDonald’s for having frozen beef” (Morris). The company’s YouTube content also ranges from high production videos with actors in a studio to videos that are just text on the screen.
Wendy’s social media accounts, particularly their Twitter, has a reputation for its “grade A social media sass” (Zipkin). Wendy’s social media employees have admitted that there is plenty of thought that goes into the posts from their accounts, even though they may seem spontaneous. This is one area that Wendy’s could keep improving on. Today’s climate is constantly changing and posts and tweets on Twitter are being more heavily scrutinized than ever. One way for Wendy’s to keep themselves out of trouble is to have more checks done on their social media accounts. Having a team that runs through and filters out tweets that could get the company into trouble would be very valuable to Wendy’s. A way to track this would be Twitter lists. Keeping news outlets that are keen to call out inappropriate tweets in one spot would make it very easy for Wendy’s to get ahead of the game, should something come up about one of their tweets. This would also allow Wendy’s to keep an eye on other competitors who might slip up, so that Wendy’s can learn from their mistakes.
Another way for Wendy’s to improve their social media presence is to attempt to expand their audience for their social media posts. Right now, most of Wendy’s social media accounts are targeting a very niche audience, which is anyone who falls into the millennial category or younger. As of January 2018, 40 percent of Twitter users in the United States were between the ages of 18 and 29, followed by 27 percent of user between the ages of 30 and 49. Users between the ages of 50 and 64 made up 19 percent of US Twitter usage, and users over the age of 65 made of 8 percent. This still left 6 percent of users which must have been under the age of 18 (statista.com). Looking at the reach of Twitter into the US population, Wendy’s most famous and most talked about social media posts, their Twitter posts, are really only being seen by specific age groups of people. Wendy’s does an excellent job of catering to this age group of young adults, but fails to reach older generations. The same kind of witty comebacks that are so appealing and funny to younger generations may not have the same appeal to older generations. Wendy’s should find a way to reach this older audience, whether it is through a different social media platform, or through another method all together.
One way Wendy’s could try to break into this younger market is by posting more often on Facebook. In contrast to Twitter users, Facebook reaches an older audience. As of January 2018, 25 percent of Facebook users in the United States were between the ages of 25 and 34. This was followed by users between the ages of 35 and 44 at 18 percent, uders between the ages of 18 and 24 at 17 percent, and then users between the ages of 45 and 54 at 15 percent. Next, was users between the ages of 55 and 64, then users 65 and older. Users between the ages of 13 and 17 brought up the rear, at only 3 percent of US Facebook users (statista.com). Facebook shows a much more even distribution of user ages, especially with users between the ages of 18 to 54. Having a more active presence on Facebook could help bring Wendy’s into an older age group audience. A technique that could be used on Wendy’s Facebook is special deals for Facebook users that reward user interaction. For example, a shared link to a survey that rewards the user with a coupon at the end. This promotes user interaction, and also keep the user on the lookout for Wendy’s posts. In addition, it is a way for the company to receive feedback about their initiatives and practices.
Overall, Wendy’s has done a great job of captivating their audience on whatever social media platform they are posting. They have successfully harnessed their voice as a brand and are using each platform to their advantage. Twitter is used for their main interactions and the messages are kept short and sweet (or not). Reddit is similar. While the platform is a little out of the way, it is honest with the other users. As for Instagram and YouTube, they focus on the aesthetics and looks of their posts more than how to get a reaction out of the audience. It is admirable that they have mastered so many diverse strategies for one company. Additionally, it is amazing that Wendy’s has taken social media, which is free, and turned it into a huge money-maker while simultaneously building lasting relationships with customers.
References
Cheng, Andria. “How Wendy’s Learned To Stop Worrying And Love Its Twitter Roasts Of McDonald’s.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 8 Oct. 2018, www.forbes.com/sites/andriacheng/2018/10/08/wendys-twitter-roasts-have-become-the-envy-of-marketers-heres-how-it-does-it/#f125a90fea4c.
Eriksen, Kristin. “How Wendy’s Used Social To Profit $64M in a Year | Deputy®.” Deputy, 17 Oct. 2018, www.deputy.com/blog/how-wendys-used-social-to-profit-64m-in-a-year.
Facebook: U.S. user age demographics 2018. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/187041/us-user-age-distribution-on-facebook/
Gould-Bourn, James. “Wendy’s Is Roasting People On Twitter, And It’s Just Too Funny.” Bored Panda, www.boredpanda.com/funny-wendy-jokes/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic.
Hardy, Kevin. “Wendy’s Roasts Its Way to Social Media Stardom.” QSR Magazine, 18 June 2018, www.qsrmagazine.com/exclusives/wendys-roasts-its-way-social-media-stardom.
Koltun, Natalie. “Wendy’s CMO on Striking the Right Amount of Social Media Sass.” Marketing Dive, 5 Oct. 2018, www.marketingdive.com/news/wendys-cmo-on-striking-the-right-amount-of-social-media-sass/538976/.
Morris, Celina. “From Serving Fresh Beef to Fresh Raps: A Wendy’s Social Media Analysis.” Medium.com, Medium, 19 Apr. 2018, www.medium.com/rta902/from-serving-fresh-beef-to-fresh-raps-a-wendys-social-media-analysis-41ec4f09b061.
U.S. Twitter reach by age group 2018 | Statistic. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/265647/share-of-us-internet-users-who-use-twitter-by-age-group/
Zipkin, Nina. “Wendy’s Amazing Social Media Team Shares The Secrets to Its Success.” Entrepreneur, Entrepreneur, 15 Dec. 2017, www.entrepreneur.com/article/306259.
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