How to Go from Speaking at Customers to Engagement and Conversation

Gone are the days when companies speak and customers and media line up to hear the gospel you are about to preach. Media change, consumer preferences multiply, and it gets tougher to clearly communicate your messages in a consistent and strategic way. Enter social media. Not only do your messages get lost in a sea of chatter, but now you receive infinite feedback from fans, detractors, and the undecided.

McDonald’s, the #1 quick service restaurant company in the world, saw an incredible chance to communicate its food messages in a new, unique and authentic way. Instead of issuing press releases, holding an event, and scheduling tweets, they decided to listen and understand their customer’s opinions of their brand. McDonald’s launched “Our Food. Your Questions” to tackle customer perceptions, answer tough questions, shatter brand misperceptions, become more transparent, change the conversation and let customers take ownership of McDonald’s story.

Key Takeaways:

• Took social listening to a new level to craft a platform directly meant to engage customers
• Formed an integrated campaign utilizing multiple consumer touch points
• Engaged customers through relevant, real-time communications, images, and video
• Leveraged curious skeptics to maintain transparent campaign
• Evolved strategy and engagement tactics from customer feedback