Unhinged: The New PR Standard
Early on, public relations has been defined as the practice of managing the relationship between a brand and the public. Professionals have established that through pitching to the press and drafting press releases. Although professionals continue to do those tasks in their day-to-day lives, Social media has been added to that task List.
Social media has allowed these brands to connect with their public by relating to them personally or informing them of the behind the scenes process. Connecting with their public leads to more customer engagement and brand awareness. Initially, most brands followed a traditional approach when posting on social media. Brands like Wendy’s and Duolingo were the first to implement a more unhinged brand identity that more brands follow.
Around 2017, Wendy’s began implementing this “unhinged” strategy to their Twitter, now X, account. They would directly respond to customers, diss their competitors and comment on current pop culture events. This strategy allowed Wendy’s to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Former Global Chief Marketing Officer, Carl Loredo, told QSR Magazine, “It’s a very, very, very cluttered marketplace out there as you think of all the messages that are coming to us … We have to find ways to break through.” Wendy’s continues to use this social media strategy on all of their social media accounts, but tailor the content to the respective social media.
Similar to Wendy’s, Duolingo has differentiated themselves with the content they post on their TikTok account. They directly reply to users, comment on other brands' videos and create videos on current pop culture events. Aside from that approach, Duolingo’s social media team decided to create various storylines with their mascot, Duo. The mascot’s identity has led to the brand performing publicity stunts like attending a Charli XCX concert and its own “death”.
Both of these brands used social media to make a dull brand more authentic and shaped how brands use social media platforms today. Although they share a similar strategy, brands must find their niche and consider their target audience when approaching social media.
Bio: Erick Martinez is a Senior at California State University, Northridge. He is pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Relations with a minor in Entertainment Media Management. Martinez currently works as a Legal Intake Specialist for Affordable Legal Services and Director of Communications for CSUN PRSSA. He is driven by a curiosity to learn, grow, and contribute meaningfully to the Public Relations industry.