The Origin Story
Early 2017.
A Twitter user asked what keeps Wendy’s beef
fresh.
Instead of a bland answer, Wendy’s snapped back with:
“Where do you store cold things that aren’t frozen? I’ll wait.”
That tweet marked the beginning of a new strategy, roasting anyone who dared engage.
From then on, Wendy’s turned Twitter into its battleground
of wit.
When McDonald’s made a “placeholder” tweet, Wendy’s quote-tweeted:
“When the tweets are as broken as the ice cream machine.”
That one-second burn became legendary.
Rule #1: Don’t Just Respond, Roast
Wendy’s didn’t just engage, they annihilated. Classic comebacks:
National Roast Day: The Annual Roast Extravaganza
Realizing people loved being roasted, Wendy’s turned
it into a tradition, National Roast Day. Anyone could tweet to be roasted, and
Wendy’s delivered, hard.
By 2022, #NationalRoastDay generated 130 million impressions in hours.
It moved to TikTok in 2023, three days of video roasts from
a cartoon Wendy. Still bold, but the heat was a bit milder than the Twitter
era.
A Contagious Voice
Wendy’s created a Twitter personality: edgy, funny, real. It felt like banter
with your funniest friend, not marketing jargon.
Thanks to the roasts, Wendy’s followed on Twitter exploded, from
~1M to 3.5M+ followers. Youth loved the boldness. Brand recognition soared, and
even foot traffic rose during viral campaigns.
🧠 Lessons for Brand
Storytellers
- Craft
a personality, don’t just post content: Wendy’s Twitter became known
for its sass, not slogans.
- Invite
audience participation: Let your fans interact, even challenge the
brand, and reward them (with a roast).
- Stay
relevant: Roast fast, roast timely, don’t recycle old jokes.
- Know
the platform: Twitter thrives on textual comebacks. TikTok needed
video format, which reshaped the style.
- Be
daring, but grounded: Wendy’s roasts were edgy but never mean, kept
playful, not personal.
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