By not addressing the protests and allegations, Wendy’s is leaving some of its customers out and trying to push aside bad feelings with positive press. Burger King, McDonald’s, Subway, and Taco Bell are all on board, and yet Wendy's has held out. Wendy’s did a great job talking to supportive customers, but it also needs to have a conversation with customers who aren’t as supportive. Stay in touch with her weekly on her newsletter. Every customer counts, no matter if they love or hate the brand. If anything, it ignites the protestors even more and gives the idea that Wendy’s has something to hide. Amy Schumer reposted Milano's sentiments on Instagram. Not surprisingly, Wendy's refusal to get on board with basic human rights has become increasingly problematic—and that all came to a head this week. Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist. 2. This content is imported from Twitter. Hey, @Wendys! You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io, Watch Serena Williams Prep Olympia for Tennis, Jennifer Aniston Casts Ballot for Joe Biden, What to Know About the Down-Ballot Election, Pete Buttigieg Doesn't Think He's a 'Slayer', We Must Find Out What the Moon Is Plotting, Exclusive: Kristen Welker on Last Night's Debate, Congresswomen on Their Go-To Walking Shoes, Here's Adele Doing a Great American Accent, Robert Pattinson and Suki Waterhouse's History. However, at the same time, backlash was growing over allegations that Wendy’s gets its tomatoes from farms that don’t follow labor laws and instead are rampant with violence, harassment and sexual assault. © 2020 Forbes Media LLC. The beauty of social media is that it allows brands to be accessible and have conversations with customers. The Freedom Fast, as it was nicknamed, represented a brave continuation of the #MeToo movement from a particularly marginalized demographic. However, at the same time, backlash was growing over allegations that Wendy’s gets its tomatoes from farms that don’t follow, and instead are rampant with violence, harassment and sexual assault. Every customer counts. A brand’s reputation depends on how it responds to and interacts with customers. Wendy's wasn't pleased. As Wendy’s stays silent over the … Unsurprisingly, that statement didn't go over well with Alyssa Milano, who's been deeply committed to the movement. Blake's clients include Comcast, Genentech, Accor Hotels, Accenture, Parker Hannifin, Ericcson, Omron, Verizon, Adobe and more. Protests have been growing at Wendy’s and on college campuses over the past few months. The longer the company waits, the greater chance that it will lose control of the messaging and not be able to recover. Last week, from March 11 to 15, farmworkers from the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and consumers decided they'd had enough. Blake is the author of two books on customer experience. Blake Morgan is a keynote speaker, customer experience futurist and the author of two books including her new "The Customer Of The Future." Here are three reasons Wendy’s missed the mark by not responding to its customers. Giving into the positive attention, Wendy’s responded that if the tweet got two million likes, it would bring back spicy nuggets. This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. Wendy’s missed the mark by choosing to only respond to positive press. The group, many of whom were women, sought to highlight the sexual violence many female workers are subjected to within the industry; a commitment to the FFP from Wendy's would give a voice to this risk. Faking Optimism Is Hard. On Saturday, Chance the Rapper tweeted about Wendy’s discontinued spicy chicken nuggets. You may opt-out by. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. They picketed and fasted outside the Park Avenue office of Nelson Peltz, Wendy’s largest shareholder and chair of its board of directors. The cause gained more attention when comedian Amy Schumer shared about it on Instagram, asking fans to focus on the labor issues instead of the spicy chicken nuggets. It’s a move that could seriously hurt its image and add fire to the protests. Wendy’s needs to take ownership of the controversy by addressing the charges and its customers, even if that means admitting it made a mistake. Giving into the positive attention, Wendy’s responded that if the tweet got two million likes, it would bring back spicy nuggets. This content is imported from {embed-name}. By all accounts, it was a great use of social media to bring positive attention to Wendy’s and build goodwill with customers. Why Do We Need to Defend Wendy Davis for Being a Working Mom? shared about it on Instagram, asking fans to focus on the labor issues instead of the spicy chicken nuggets. In the meantime, the brand has made time to tweet about the issues it cares about most: steamed ham and fresh beef. By Monday, Wendy’s had reached the goal, gotten people talking about its food and kept the promise by bringing spicy nuggets back to the menu. Social media can have a huge impact on brands, for good and bad. Blake is a guest lecturer at Columbia University and adjunct faculty at the Rutgers MBA program. Blake is the author of two books on customer experience. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. 1. By Monday, Wendy’s had reached the goal, gotten people talking about its food and kept the promise by bringing spicy nuggets back to the menu. As Wendy’s stays silent over the controversy, customers on Amy Schumer’s Instagram are having a real conversation about the issue. about Wendy’s discontinued spicy chicken nuggets. However, those conversations need to happen with all customers. Rather than join onto FFP, according to boycott-wendys.org, Wendy's cut ties with its Florida growers in favor of Mexican tomato suppliers. (A 2014 series in the Los Angeles Times detailed child labor, sexual harassment and other abuses on Mexican farms.). The controversy spawned the hashtag "WendysIsOverParty" on Tuesday, with a screenshot from an article revealing James Bodenstedt, the CEO of … 3. Wendy’s made the cardinal sin of only responding to positive messages from its customers. The cause gained more attention when comedian. She's worked with Accenture, Intel, Verizon Wireless, and many more. But Then, It Works. Its major flaw was only responding to the positive attention and completely ignoring growing protests. Her first book was 'More is More: How The Best Companies Work Harder And Go Farther To Create Knock Your Socks Off Customer Experiences." She lives in the Bay Area with her husband, their two children and two dogs. Blake is the host of The Modern Customer Podcast and a weekly customer experience video series on YouTube. Company spokesperson Heidi Schauer told The Huffington Post, "There’s no new news here, aside from the CIW trying to exploit the positive momentum that has been generated by and for women in the #MeToo and Time’s Up movement to advance their interests.". By all accounts, it was a great use of social media to bring positive attention to Wendy’s and build goodwill with customers. Burger King, McDonald’s, Subway, and Taco Bell are all on board, and yet Wendy's has held out. Wendy's hasn't yet responded to Milano. She is a contributor to Forbes and the Harvard Business Review.