The goal for the Denny's brand Twitter account has always been simple: don't sound like a brand Twitter account. By straightforwardly using the platform as a user would (i.e., with natural language, awareness of current and relevant events and pop culture, a brisk and off-the-cuff style and response time, not pandering with outdated advertisements or promotions), we planned to separate ourselves from the deluge of corporate try-hardness flooding the landscape. In short? Be a part of the community, not an intrusion; to connect with our fans in an organic way. So, when a new twitter meme emerges we can capitalize on the conversation…and make it about Denny’s.

A popular meme had emerged on twitter where you could zoom in on an image of a dog to read a hidden message on its nose. Once the meme had hit peak saturation, we felt it was the opportune time to get in on the conversation. Having a little fun, we wanted to capitalize on everyone’s collective feelings about the start of 2017. The political state of our nation has us more divided than ever. The Falcons blew a 25 point lead to lose the Super Bowl. LaLa Land won Best Picture and then lost Best Picture. There has been a lot so far that makes us all question our current reality. So, by tweeting a stack of our pancakes with the instructions ‘zoom in on the syrup’ we invited our followers to take a journey. A journey that would give them temporary solace from their ‘existential dread’.

The tweet struck a chord with our fans. They expressed their need for pancakes and their love for Denny’s social media, an intimacy transcending the brand-audience paradigm. Amassing over 121,000 retweets and 170,000 likes, social conversation about Denny’s skyrocketed 534%. And within nearly 24 hours it became the most successful brand tweet. OF. ALL. TIME!

The tweet garnered 30 million earned impressions with 87 different earned media placements including CNET, MSN, Mashable, People, Huffington Post, Today, USA Today and 3 separate articles on Adweek.

And for the low, low budget of only… $0!

The tweet surpassed dunking in the dark and a beefy hat without a single dollar paid to promote it. The most engaging brand tweet of all time, completely organic.