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

Starting a Business

How to Find the Right Programmers: A Brief Guideline for Startup Founders

For startup founders under a plethora of challenges like timing, investors and changing market demand, it is extremely hard to hire programmers who can deliver.

Growing a Business

You Need an Advisory Team More Than Ever. Here's Why — and How to Run One Effectively.

The right advice, particularly in a company's early stages, can be an existential matter: how to surround yourself with the right minds.

Growing a Business

The Best Way to Run a Business Meeting

All too often, meetings run longer than they should and fail to keep attendees engaged. Here's how to run a meeting the right way.

Fundraising

Working Remote? These Are the Biggest Dos and Don'ts of Video Conferencing

As more and more businesses go remote, these are ways to be more effective and efficient on conference calls.

Business News

Chipotle CEO Addresses Backlash Over Portion Sizes: 'There Was Never a Directive to Provide Less'

The fast-casual chain has been under fire about inconsistent portion sizes.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.