Food & Drink International - Spring 2017 Volume 1 - 94
d DISTRIBUTORS Dare to be Different >> Brands should be responsive on social media and not ignore mentions. Having a social presence allows brands to have one-on-one coversations and chat directly with followers. in a friendly, social way? Or does it seem like they're using the platform as a self-centered sales opportunity? 3. Be very intriguing. Ever since coming up with the pizza emojis - that, when tweeted @dominos, would serve as a pizza delivery order - Dominos has maintained a social media presence based on innovation, light humor and being plain unexpected. And of course, like a lot of restaurants, they're running a themed social media contest which can pay off nicely with followers when used in the right context with a fun hashtag and a decent reward. The trick is keeping those followers interested after their self-interest wanes. 94 4. Be very funny. This is where Wendy's excels right now. Another favorite example involved them (but didn't start with them), when Jimmy John's tweeted "Sup @Wendys? [winking emoji] #KissAGingerDay." And you know what? If you're wearing your disciplined marketer's hat, it's hard to be actually funny because it requires irreverence, quick-wittedness, a solid sense of voice and a good feel for what's culturally considered humorous - cute ad copy won't cut it. Unfortunately, on an hourly basis, it's a rare social media manager who can be consistently charming. Arby's got around that daily challenge by food & drink international * spring 2017 volume 1 * www.fooddrink-magazine.com zeroing in on one likely segment of their demographics and making iconic gaming references built from their cardboard containers - it delighted the people who got it, and if it wasn't precisely what you'd call humor, it made that human connection. In the end, making a human connection is the whole point, in any media. But you can't make that connection if you sound, look and behave like everyone else. Charlie Hopper is a principal at Young & Laramore. He is the author of the blog SellingEating.com, and the book "Selling Eating: Restaurant Marketing Beyond the Word Delicious." Hopper may be reached at chopper@yandl.com.