Wendy's makes good on Twitter chicken nugget promise as 'Nuggs for Carter' campaign breaks retweet record
One man's mission to win a a year-long supply of chicken nuggets has earned him the title for the most retweeted Twitter post of all time, taking the accolade from Ellen DeGeneres' Oscar selfie tweet from 2014.
Wendy's comes good on Twitter chicken nugget promise as 'Nuggs for Carter' campaign breaks retweet
The unlikely feat came after Reno man Carter Wilkerson tweeted fast-food chain Wendy's last month asking how many retweets he would have to garner in order to win 365 days' worth of free chicken nuggets.
Wendy's accepted the challenge, giving him a target of 18 million – and while the nugget enthusiast has failed to hit the figure he has ousted DeGeneres' record-breaking figure thanks to a simple hashtag and support from brands and celebrities like Google, Microsoft and John Legere.
Wilkerson's plea for free fried food clocked up a total of at 3.4 million retweets, beating 2014's star-studded Oscar selfie by a couple of hundred thousand.
HELP ME PLEASE. A MAN NEEDS HIS NUGGS pic.twitter.com/4SrfHmEMo3
— Carter Wilkerson (@carterjwm) April 6, 2017
Despite missing the original target set by Wendy's, the brand has come good on its promise to ensure Wilkerson gets free nuggets – though its not clear how many he will be allocated per-day.
Wendy’s has also said it will donate $100,000 to The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption in Wilkerson's name in honour of the achievement.
.@carterjwm is now the most retweeted tweet of all-time. That’s good for the nuggets, and $100k to @DTFA. Consider it done. #nuggsforcarter pic.twitter.com/k6uhsJiP4E — Wendy's (@Wendys) May 9, 2017
"We could not be more excited for Carter for having broken the record of the most Retweeted Tweet of all time. We love Twitter because it lets us talk with people in real and fun ways, and they have been loving us back as a result," said a Wendy's spokesperson.
Twitter, meanwhile, took the opportunity to highlight the stunt as a triumph for its proposition as the home of pop culture and breaking news.
"The beauty of Twitter is that one moment the nation is reacting to a snap election, and the very next we're rallying behind a teenager who just really, really likes a chicken nugget," said Dara Nasr, managing director, Twitter UK.
"It's this blend of serious and fun that perfectly captures the diversity of Twitter. It's an incredible story that shows anyone can have their voice heard through our open, live platform," he finished.