“Would You Like a Side of Fries with That Roast?” - Is Wendy’s Roasting Social Media Marketing Strategy a Viable Strategy for Swedish Companies?

Abstract: The roasting social media marketing strategy introduced by Wendy’s in 2017 was met with great reception, vastly increasing the company’s Twitter following and profits. With other companies in the USA following suit to capitalize on their social media platforms, could Swedish companies also improve their social media presence using this strategy? This study investigates how transferable the roasting social media marketing strategy is to the Swedish market by examining whether it positively influences social media customer engagement amongst Swedish consumers. The research question is answered through four focus groups composed of 20 Swedish consumers between the ages of 18 and 30. This study finds that the strategy is transferable to the market due to the relatable internet-based humor being used in the content, but faces several limitations such as quality of content, its perceived foreign nature, potential lack of authenticity, and inability to build long-term customer-firm connections and relationships.