Memes As Marketing

Abstract

How many fast-food restaurants have released a chart-topping mixtape? The answer is exactly one—Wendy’s. Their mixtape, We Beefin?, tears down competitors like McDonald’s and Burger King while also managing to reach the number one spot on Spotify’s Global Viral 50 and garnering almost 800 million impressions. But, Wendy’s isn’t just a one-hit wonder. Their Twitter account is also a hit, managing to achieve a 113% jump in Twitter mentions. Through consistently clever tweets, Wendy’s brands themselves as "the sassy friend you want to go to lunch with". These marketing wins have also demonstrated a major business impact. After Wendy’s began this unique social media approach in 2017, they experienced a 49.7% growth in profit that year. Using the power of Internet memes, Wendy’s was able to vitalize its brand even as an already successful company.