There's Got To Be a Morning After

Remember back in January when Wendy's "won the Internet?"

Their sharp-witted social media manager spent a day roasting their followers on Twitter, making one message abundantly clear...

Don't @ Me, Bro.

It truly was a remarkable display of what corporate messaging can be on social media if you allow your team to take risks. By giving their social media manager the green light to flex her muscles, they strengthened their brand, got plenty of attention, and I'm sure they sold a fair amount of Baconators as a result.

But there's got to be a morning after...

Last night, I had a Wendy's ad promoted to me on Twitter. Out of curiosity, I clicked on it, and the replies gave me a mild panic attack.

Their @ mentions were an endless cavalcade of jokes about their meat, their competitor, and some incredibly unfortunate jokes about their mascot. What's worse is that many of the users tweeting at them were tweeting with zero malice. They thought this was part of the game, and frankly, I don't blame them. The last time they saw Wendy's in the news, it was because Wendy's was roasting people making similar jokes. In their head, this is a game that they get to be in on. Meanwhile, the negative mentions of Wendy's from "friendly fire" users are skyrocketing.

So let's talk about the unintended consequences of great marketing.

There is no denying that the original actions of Wendy's social media manager were superb. She got someone to delete their account. The social prowess it takes to steal headlines like that is off the charts, but what happens the next day?

What happens when you've created a game where no one really knows the rules? What happens when you create a game that you can't escape? What happens when you create a game that can last for months, even when you've decided you want out?

This is a real problem that social media marketers face daily. It's seldom newsworthy, because the content is usually so mundane to begin with that no one misses their inability to keep it going. When it is noteworthy, however, it breaks my heart.

This happens most prevalently with the "big idea" marketers. These are the folks who do have extraordinary ideas, and who are able to execute on those ideas for a week or two, but then get bored and move on to the next thing. They don't think about how to scale their efforts, or the optics of abandoning an idea half-baked. Instead, they attack a creative idea with ferocity, execute for a minute, and move on.

So how can you take your big, creative ideas and share them on social media without turning your account into an idea graveyard?

The good news is that, for every one "big idea" marketer who fails on social media, there's one who succeeds. Here are some of the tactics those marketers use to keep their content fresh, relevant, and sustainable over time:

• They Establish Clear Timelines: The big flaw with the Wendy's example is that it lives on in perpetuity. They're the roast masters. Expectations have been set too high, for too long. This is clearly not sustainable. This is why timely campaigns are so effective. By setting clear expectations at the onset that you're doing something for a day, a week, or a month, people won't be surprised when you won't tweet a dank meme at them three months after the fact.
• They Set Clear Rules: Additionally, I always recommend setting clear rules when interacting with users. Some prefer for those rules to be stated: "Reply with your favorite menu item," whereas some brands prefer for the dynamic to be unspoken, but clearly communicated. This is what Wendy's did extraordinarily well. The unstated rule was "You talk smack, we talk back." The only problem with this rule is that they have to keep that dynamic up for the foreseeable future.
• They Create a Scale-Up Strategy Before They Execute: Literally everything you do needs to be sustainable, because you never know what might take off. What's your endgame here? How do you get out of this game if you get in too deep? How do you continue to execute on this in the coming weeks? What are the possible ways that the story could flip on you, as it flipped on Wendy's, and how are you prepared to deal with those contingencies? Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.

I'd like to reiterate my praise for the tactical prowess that Wendy's has shown with their social media presence, because they really did some remarkable work. Unfortunately, that's just the start. Once you set expectations, it's your responsibility to either continue to meet those expectations or to reframe the conversation in a different direction. That's what sustainable marketing looks like.

After all, there's got to be a morning after. We can hold on through the night...

If you liked this post, you might like my book. You should buy it. Or don't. Whatever. Live your life. Don't let strangers on the Internet control you.