While scrolling down your Twitter feed, you may come across tweets by Wendy’s fast food chain. The social media account is often interacting with customers and roasting competitors. The spit-fire snark that Wendy’s Twitter account has is a carefully crafted online personality aimed to promote the brand and its products. The strategy also increases engagement while entertaining customers.  

The use of such a brand personality not only drives sales, but also gets the conversation going among customers and Twitter users as a whole.

The same goes for the case of Disney’s Twitter interactions. For the average consumer, it may look like each dedicated movie account is interacting with other accounts, in a genuine manner. However, each tweet is carefully crafted and “in-character” for every interaction. A prime example of this would be when Disney got their properties to reply in-character to the company’s main Twitter account. Accounts for Guardians of the Galaxy, The Avengers, and Star Wars, for example, replied to the original tweet as part of a Disney+ promotion campaign.

Tweet via @Disney.

Tweet via @starwars.

This backfired when The Simpson’s Twitter account called Disney out on it. 

Tweet via @TheSimpsons. 

The ongoing trend of humanizing brands by making them more personable, friendly, or even snarky, isn’t new. Just earlier that year, the person running SunnyD’s Twitter account wrote, “I can’t do this anymore” with Super Bowl LIII as the context. Several brands jumped in showing support for the SunnyD account. 

Moon Pie responded with, “What’s going on sunny,” while Uber Eats asked, “You ok bro?” Meanwhile, Pop-Tarts offered the corporate Twitter account a hug. 

As a business and brand, the root of the matter is how to come across as more authentic on social media platforms. This is especially relevant in the context of an oversaturated digital environment where sincerity is lost through consumer awareness and a healthy dose of skepticism. 

To add more nuance, consumers are slowly beginning to understand that there is a person behind every corporate social media account. 

There is certainly a blurred line between what’s truly genuine versus something that’s done purely as a marketing campaign. What businesses should do is find that perfect balance. This may involve participating in humanitarian causes that align with one’s brand image.

In fact, according to a study conducted by RetailMeNot, 66% of users who are 18 and over are more accepting of a brand if it takes a public stand on social values. Of those internet users surveyed, 61% of them would also recommend a brand to others if it aligns with their own social values. Meanwhile, 52% of users are likely to spend more money on a brand based on if social values align with each other. 

Brand loyalty can also increase if the brand in question takes a stance of their own when it comes to social and political issues. A survey conducted by Sprout Social found that after knowing about a brand’s stance, 52% of users will show greater brand loyalty if they agree with the stance. In addition, 44% of users agree that they would buy more products from the brand if there is an alignment between social stances and values. 

Having the right online brand personality and deciding whether or not having a stance on hot topics are challenges that businesses have to face today. Digital platforms can be tricky to navigate, but the Find Your Audience team is here to help. To begin your consultation, call 647-479-0688 or email hi@findyouraudience.online.