📺 Stream EntrepreneurTV for Free 📺

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

entrepreneur daily

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

Thought Leaders

It's the End of the Entrepreneurial Era As We Know It

With the rise of advanced technologies and AI, are we losing all sense of the independent business person and entrepreneur?

Business News

These 4 Words Make It Obvious You Used AI to Write a Paper, According to New Research

Scientists are increasingly using ChatGPT and other AI bots to write studies.

Science & Technology

Exploring How Virtual Reality is Changing Startups

Virtual reality's immersive environment is where startup marketing is headed, and early adopters will be the ones who profit.

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.

Side Hustle

He Started a Luxury Side Hustle at Age 13 — Now the Business Earns More Than $10 Million a Year: 'People Want to Help You When You're Young'

Michael Morgan, now the owner of Iconic Watch Company, always had a passion for "old things" — and he turned it into a lucrative venture.

Business News

'They're Scared': PNC Arena Bans New York Residents From Purchasing Tickets Ahead of Rangers, Hurricanes NHL Playoff Matchup

The two teams will face off in Game 1 of the second round of the Eastern Conference fight for the Stanley Cup.