McDonald’s Pulls Twitter Ad After Online Users Criticize Company
January 25, 2012, 4:20 PM ESTBy Leslie Patton
Jan. 24 (Bloomberg) -- McDonald’s Corp., the world’s biggest restaurant chain, said an advertisement on Twitter Inc. backfired after people began using the social-media website to criticize the company.
A Twitter label, meant to promote a campaign about the company’s suppliers, “did not go as planned,” Rick Wion, McDonald’s social media director, said in an e-mailed statement. The company “quickly pulled” the Twitter label last week after the negative posts, he said.
People used Twitter to question the chain’s food quality and the cleanliness of its stores. McDonald’s supplier campaign, meant to tell customers about where the company’s food comes from, was introduced Jan. 2 and includes television and Facebook ads.
“With all social media campaigns, we include contingency plans should the conversation not go as planned,” Wion said.
McDonald’s, with more than 31,000 McDonald’s restaurants worldwide, has a Twitter team of 10 employees who post about news and promotions, according to the company’s website. Oak Brook, Illinois-based McDonald’s has recently advertised Chicken McBites and McCafe drinks using Twitter.
--Editors: Stephen West, Nick Turner
To contact the reporter on this story: Leslie Patton in Chicago at lpatton5@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Robin Ajello at rajello@bloomberg.net
