SPECIAL FEATURES:
Email
Twitter users bash McDonald's
When McDonald’s started the Twitter hashtag #McDStories, the haters came out and told stories the fast food restaurant wasn't expecting.
Wed, Jan 25 2012 at 3:01 PM
Photo: Rob Young/Flickr
Twitter can be a vicious platform. This was never so clear to me as it was last week with the announcement that Paula Deen has Type 2 diabetes. There was so much hate, anger, judgment and mean spiritedness attached to the #PaulaDeen hashtag, I had to remove the column from my TweetDeck even though I was trying to follow the story.
As the Paula Deen backlash lessened a bit, the Twitterverse turned it’s focus toward McDonalds when the fast food company started the #McDStories hashtag on Jan. 18 with this tweet.
"When u make something w/pride, people can taste it," - McD potato supplier #McDStories http://t.co/HaPM5G9F
Twitter hashtags are created with the express purpose of hoping that other Twitter users catch on and use it to create a conversation about the topic. Twitter users caught on all right, but not in the way that I imagine McDonald's wanted them to.
Instead of getting heartfelt stories of memories of McDonald’s, they ended up with hundreds of Tweets like this one.
And this one.
Obviously, those comments aren't what McDonald's was hoping to get, but they're similar to many of the comments it got.
From a PR perspective, the #McDStories was a supersized disaster, but I doubt it will stop the average McDonald's patron from eating there. Most of the negative tweets have stopped, and the majority of tweets using the hashtag are pointing to stories about the disaster (kind of like this story) and what can be learned from it.
The people writing the negative tweets probably don’t eat the food there to begin. I can't imagine anyone that does eat at McDonald's seeing one of the negative comments and changing their mind about eating there. I could be wrong.
Do you think that backlash like this actually makes a difference in public perception, or do you think it's just a way for people to vent their opinions?
The opinions expressed by MNN Bloggers and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of MNN.com. While we have reviewed their content to make sure it complies with our Terms and Conditions, MNN is not responsible for the accuracy of any of their information.
You might also like:
Sign in with one of these accounts to add your comment.
EDITORS' PICKS
Advertisement
TODAY'S MOST POPULAR ON
- Watch: Sir David Attenborough deals with a band of cannibals the British way
- 15 famous people who mysteriously disappeared
- Too beautiful to be real? 16 surreal landscapes found on Earth
- 7 surprising things Pope Francis has done in his first 100 days
- 10 false facts most people think are true
- Student science experiment finds plants won't grow near Wi-Fi router
- 9 habits that may do more harm than good
- 10 uses for Parmesan cheese rinds
- Henry Cavill's 'Man of Steel' workout and diet
- Men and women literally see the world differently
From our sponsor
NEWSLETTER
ABOUT Robin Shreeves
Stay-at-home mom on eco-friendly food options.
Advertisement
I don't think any public comments no matter how bad are going to affect McDonalds in any way what so ever. Sure, the food is full of stuff we shouldn't be eating, but omg, sometimes you just can't resist a splurge at Mickey D's!! So all you negative tweeters out there get off your high horse. Don't dare tell me you all havn't given in to that urge before!!
excuse me d-kruft1, I believe that is called a addiction,
and from the constant tv/media/internet ad's you see daily, its a constant tease for weak minded people, like yourself. I was fed Mcd's as a child, always wondering why my stomach felt so uncomfortable after digesting a load of crap, and feeling heavy, really heavy... now that I am aware, and actually listen to what my body is telling me,
you might actually fix yourself.