On April 5th, 16-year-old Carter Wilkerson tweeted at Wendy’s asking how many retweets it would take to get a year of free chicken nuggets. The fast-feeder’s reply? 18 million. And while he hasn’t hit that milestone just yet, the 3.42 million retweets of the Nevada high schooler’s original tweet now surpasses Ellen’s infamous Oscar selfie for Samsung as the most retweeted of all-time.
.@carterjwm is now the most retweeted tweet of all-time. That’s good for the nuggets, and $100k to @DTFA. Consider it done. #nuggsforcarter pic.twitter.com/k6uhsJiP4E
— Wendy’s (@Wendys) May 9, 2017
Wendy’s has declared that milestone as good enough for the 12 months of free nuggets. On April 1, Wilkerson had 138 followers. Now it’s over 100,000, and #NuggsForCarter has a custom emoji featuring a box of Wendy’s nuggets. He got some help along the way with retweets from other brands and celebrities getting in on the fun.
https://twitter.com/aaronpaul_8/status/850560916156370944
Feeling lucky, @carterjwm? #NuggsForCarter https://t.co/pYqVV6rBh3
— Google (@Google) April 8, 2017
Live your best life, Carter. Follow your dreams. #NuggsForCarter https://t.co/PbHd9JMQjE
— Amazon (@amazon) April 8, 2017
In addition to the year-long nuggfest, Wendy’s has also donated $100,000 in Wilkerson’s name to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.
Yo @Wendys how many retweets for a year of free chicken nuggets?
— Carter Wilkerson (@carterjwm) April 6, 2017
HELP ME PLEASE. A MAN NEEDS HIS NUGGS pic.twitter.com/4SrfHmEMo3
— Carter Wilkerson (@carterjwm) April 6, 2017
It’s a feel-good story all around, one brands desperately need after the social media dumpster fires lit by United and Pepsi over the last month (et tu, Dove?). But let’s not kid ourselves. If Oreo’s 2013 Super Bowl tweet has taught us anything, it’s that with any one-off social brand success, we must now brace ourselves for the cavalcade of copycats that will undoubtedly follow. Please, resist the temptation.
Recognize your brand’s excellence by applying to this year’s Brands That Matter Awards before the early-rate deadline, May 3.
