Denny’s Twitter Success
I will be the first to admit that I love the Denny’s Twitter account. I think it’s hilarious and extremely relatable. If you love Denny’s and/or breakfast food like me, then their Twitter account will speak to you on a real deep level.
We talked in class about how this account is a total social media win and I couldn’t agree more. As of today it has 335K followers. I first stumbled across the account last year, when I lived five minutes from Denny’s and already ate there far more often than anyone ever should. I read a few tweets, giggled, and followed it instantly. Does it make me love Denny’s more? Quite candidly, yes. A corporation with a sense of humour is fun, it’s very appealing.
I think when I pictured who could possibly be running Denny’s Twitter account I pictured maybe one really chill, young adult-type person that had the coolest job ever. They possibly just sat in an office eating unlimited Denny’s and tweeting. But I’ve done a bit of research and it’s obviously WAY more complicated than that.
What’s crazy is the level of thought and work that actually goes into running the account, run since 2013 by the Erwin Penland ad agency. I read an article you can find here where the team behind Denny’s social media presence discusses some of the work that they do. It involves hiring specific people to inject the right “voice” into the account, designing tweets around holidays, news worthy events, and popular culture. It’s an effective example of planned content, because it takes so much effort and thought. The Twitter account has been so successful because it is well planned content.
It keeps up with current events and what’s going on in popular culture, making it relevant and contextual. The account has commented on the New Year’s Eve, Coachella, the release of the new iPhone without the headphone jack, even some celebrity disagreements.
The account makes the occasional digs, like the ones pictured above, but is careful to always have a fairly popular opinion. Also, the issues are ones that can be made light and funny. Never featured on the account are opinions that are strong enough to divide or upset the account’s intended target audience.
It is interactive, and the account will sometimes retweet or respond to follower content, creating a personal relationship. It does this not only on Twitter, but on Tumblr as well. You get the idea that their intended audience is younger people, posts and tweets use language and imagery well tailored for their consumption.
I think it still maintains a level of uniqueness, despite various copycats. Corporations like Wendy’s and Burger King are now trying to emulate the success that the Denny’s Twitter has had over the past four years. The recent trend of ‘social media savagery’ is perhaps a response to the diner’s social media success. People enjoy it, but I think it could probably get old pretty quick. What happens when you run out of tweets to reply to? What happens when you run out of sassy responses? Because Denny’s keeps up with current events, there will always be new, authentic content. A year after following the Denny’s account, I still visit it occasionally when I’m in need of a good laugh.
It also maintains a strong purpose and intention. Kevin Purcer of Erwin Penland said, “we want people to love the brand and to make them hungry” and I think they’ve really nailed it. Scrolling through their Twitter feed made me want Denny’s so bad, and it makes me laugh. All in all, planned content has been super effective in giving Denny’s a recognition boost and a large social media following. It’s a prime example of a social media win.
