Wendy’s Twitter team hosts Reddit AMA to discuss chain’s sassy social strategy
Wendy’s is one of few brands whose Twitter account is one that people actually want to follow and engage with, mostly because its tweets are typically made up of snarky and quippy remarks that are often made at the expense of rival McDonald’s.
On Thursday, the social media team behind these tweets hosted an AMA on Reddit to answer questions and shed some light on how they’ve managed to create a brand Twitter account that isn't totally cringeworthy.
Considering many of the fast food’s chains most popular tweets have been ones making fun of McDonald’s - like the one that called out the Big Mac purveyor for sending out a tweet that said “**** Need copy and link****” on Black Friday - many Redditors were curious to know whether or not they have to go through a lengthy approval process with higher-ups to get posts approved. Wendy’s said that they “don’t get approval for everything, but definitely some stuff,” noting that all tweets that call out McDonald’s “generally need approval.”
Responding to one Redditor who asked if they’ve “even gotten in trouble” for something they’ve posted, Wendy’s said that haven’t necessarily gotten in “big time trouble,” but have been “talked to.” When asked how they’ve managed to “get permission to become the Sassy Wendy’s we all know and love,” the team said it has involved “a slow build of working together, earning trust, and building a voice that evolved over time.”
Others were curious to know more about the makeup of the brand’s social media team. Unsurprisingly, Wendy’s said that the team is made up of “mostly millennials.” Keeping with the fast food chain’s signature brand of humor, the team said that “A Masters at the School of Memeology” is a hiring prerequisite in response to a question about “what kind of education background” is needed for the job.
On the marketing side of things, some wanted to know how the team measures and reports social success. Wendy’s responded by stating that it “can be hard to track,” but that they look at things like “impressions, engagements, brand metrics, other marketing mumbo jumbo.” To one Redditor who asked if Wendy’s has “any hard evidence that a strong social presence boost sales,” the Wendy’s team had a snarkier response: “People say they go eat because of the tweets, and no one has ever lied on the internet.”
Another person wanted to know why more brands haven’t copied Wendy’s approach since it has garnered the brand so much positive press and attention. The Wendy’s team responded by stating that brands including Pop-Tarts, MoonPie, and Arby’s are all good examples of ones who’ve adopted a “more fun approach” on Twitter as of late.
But the most burning question on everyone’s minds during the AMA seemed to be why Wendy’s got rid of its spicy chicken nuggets earlier this year. Wendy’s social team said that “although they weren’t really in charge of that decision,” they’ve “seen all 18 billion tweets about it” — and that the people in charge are aware that it’s caused quite a stir.