Get All Access for $5/mo

Want to Be More Like Wendy's on Twitter? Here's What the Company's CMO Says to Do. Kurt Kane says just copying Wendy's voice won't cut it.

By Andrea Hardalo

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Patrick T. Fallon | Getty Images

Wendy's is famous for its voice on social media. Remember when the company challenged Carter Wilkinson to set a Twitter record to win free chicken nuggets for a year? That one-tweet challenge went viral, generating news coverage and landing Wilkinson on Ellen Degeneres's couch.

From witty one liners to offering advice and homework help, Wendy's has established a social voice that is unlike any other brand. "More and more people have been discovering how we've been talking with people on Twitter, and so it's gotten bigger and bigger," Wendy's Chief Marketing Officer Kurt Kane told Entrepreneur.

According to Kane, the marketing team at Wendy's decided around three years ago that they wanted the freedom to communicate how they wanted, especially through Twitter. "The biggest thing we decided was to stop advertising to people and to start having a conversation with people," Kane said.

Related: Wendy's Amazing Social Media Team Shares The Secrets to its Success

While it doesn't take itself too seriously on Twitter, what Wendy's does take seriously is the way it talks about its food, which was instilled into the brand by its founder, Dave Thomas. "That's when you tend to see us really step forward with a very competitive tone of voice," Kane said. "Not because we're fixated on our competitors but more because we're fixated on quality."

He added, "Our reality is that we're in a unique position to be able to communicate with people because of our brand history and the fact that they tend to associate the Wendy's brand with real people, [such as Thomas and his daughter]," Kane said.So how can you be more like Wendy's on Twitter? Don't be like Wendy's. Kane said that a number of brands reach out to his team with questions about how they can be more like Wendy's on social media. "Our biggest advice to those brands has been they have to be themselves," he said. "You have to live your own brand truth. And to just try to act like Wendy's won't work."
Andrea Hardalo

Social Media Editor

Andrea Hardalo is the social media editor of Entrepreneur.com. She previously managed social for Scout Media.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Side Hustle

This Former Starbucks Employee Started a Side Hustle That's Making More Than $70,000 a Month — and He's Not Done Yet

When Tom Saar moved to New York City, he spotted a lucrative business opportunity.

Business News

Is One Company to Blame for Soaring Rental Prices in the U.S.?

The FBI recently raided a major corporate landlord while investigating a rent price-fixing scheme. Here's what we know.

Business News

Amazon Has a Blank Book Problem: Buyers Report Receiving Fakes of Bestselling UFO Book

The book looked fine on the outside, but the inside was out-of-this-world.

Business News

Paramount Leadership Alludes to Layoffs If Merger Does Not Go Through

Paramount is awaiting approval on its merger with Skydance Media from majority shareholder Shari Redstone.

Business News

Microsoft Reportedly Lays Off Over 1,500 Employees in Cloud Sector as Partnership with OpenAI Strengthens

Alphabet also reportedly laid off employees from several teams in Google's cloud unit last week.

Side Hustle

10 Online Side Hustles Proven to Boost Your Bank Account

Even the busiest schedules can accommodate finding a precious few hours to create a profitable online venture — something that many are already mastering.