On average it takes a brand 10 hours to respond to users on social media, and around 89% of social media messages to brands go ignored (source).
With much competition in the social media space, it’s not enough anymore to just post content. Brands need to interact with consumers to show that they are interested in them and their opinions, even if they are wildly silly.
Take Carter Wilkerson.
Screenshot of Carter Wilkerson tweet to Wendy’s.
Source: Twitter, 2017
This may seem extremely overconfident…
But in just over a week, this post has been retweeted around 3 million times, and may become the most retweeted post of all time!
Currently, it is second to Ellen DeGeneres’ Oscars selfie tweet, which holds the top spot (at 3.4 million). If it can surpass this, Wendy’s has pledged to donate $100,000 to the Dave Thomas Foundation (a foster care not for profit organisation).
Ellen DeGeneres Tweet from the 2014 Oscars. Highlighted is her re tweet record.
Source: Twitter, 2017
#NuggsForCarter has sent global shockwaves. Even multinationals have jumped on the 16 year old’s bandwagon to help him reach his goal!
Screenshot from ‘#NuggsForCarter’ search.
Source: Twitter, 2017
Statistically, this post should have gone unanswered, proving not enough brands pay attention to the value of an average follower. Furthermore, as Wilkerson had a low following on Twitter at the time of this post (not anymore!), often brands ignore users like him and instead, only respond to those with a large follower/influencer base (source).
Through such simple dialogue, Wendy’s online awareness will now have skyrocketed, offering them not just a huge return on user engagement, but also a follower base that has increased ever since Wilkerson’s post.
Wendy’s Twitter following boosted on April 7 (the day after Wilkersons post) and ever since. Source: Twitter Counter, 2017
Wendy’s has demonstrated how two way online dialogue can have such a meaningful impact. All online consumers should be considered important and worth responding to online. This tweet has engaged countless global Twitter users with the Wendy’s brand, in such an authentic way yet powerful way.
Do you think Carter will reach his challenge? Do you encounter brands not responding to you online? Contribute to the sound of this digital marketing topic and comment below.
The Sound of Marketing 
God damn 18 million retweets is a lot of retweets… He’s gotten really close and I’m super excited to see how far this tweet will go! I love the depth of research you’ve gone into Wendy’s twitter account. They’re so funny and it’s awesome for us consumers! I completely agree with you on how brands need to engage with its consumers, even small things like Carter’s tweet. It creates a different brand personality for the company and makes the brand seem more approachable. This is so important because as everything moves online, sometimes consumers find it difficult to communicate their needs/wants.
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Definitely a lot when the record is 3.5! But surely if he beats Ellen they’ll give him free nuggets for a year. He’s done a phenomenal job!
It definitely does create a more authentic and approachable personality I agree 🙂
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18 million! Wow! I did a bit of research on twitter’s current active users, and that’s about 300+ million, his goal is possible to reach if only all the users share that tweet with their friends, and friends sharing with their friends… But considering how Ellen’s Oscar selfie still stayed at the top… I hope he can get his nuggets haha!
Definitely agree with you, brands shouldn’t ignore the small conversations with their consumer, even if it’s a huge amount of work, they should still look through them at least. Great job for the deep research you’ve done there!
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I read the same and realised hey, it actually is achievable! Because initially when you see 18 million you assume it is super exorbitant!
Exactly! If Wendy’s have proved anything, it’s that investing that extra time to respond to consumers can really make a big difference!
Fingers crossed he makes his target, he is currently on 3.2 million as we speak
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Insightful read! This really goes to show how opening the conversation to consumers, creates long-term benefit for brands; building that personal rapport goes a long way not just for the customer experience, but also growing a brand’s following and potential customer base. Hope Carter makes his history!
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Why thank you! I really appreciate the feedback 🙂
Yeah I hope he does too- that would genuinely be amazing!
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I think it is crucial for brands to be present and respond to consumers on social media, it builds a relationship and makes consumers feel there opinions are heard and valued. Interesting read 🙂
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Definitely! Organisations haven’t realised how powerful it can be and this is a perfect example of this!
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