Wendy’s Makes Online Promo Real for Bacon Fans

A new social-media campaign from Wendy’s is collecting hunger-related Facebook posts and Twitter updates in real time and offering to award a $2,000 grand prize to the participant who racks up the largest number of points for completing daily social challenges.

Under the tagline “You know when it’s real,” the Web site reinforces the chain’s association with fresh, “real’ food by aggregating real-time content that mentions hunger, hamburgers and other food-related tweets from Twitter.

The tweets are captured as users post them to Twitter. They pop up on the WendysRealTime.com site, float for a few seconds unless visitors click on and expand them, and then recede to be replaced by more recent content.

The tweets also relate to bacon, one of the key ingredients in the Applewood Smoked Bacon Burger Deluxe that Wendy’s is currently promoting in its TV spots and in stores. The chain is also using the WendysRealTime.com site to funnel visitors to a “Bacon Hunt’ contest on a company Twitter account at @UrBaconMeCrazy.

Once they follow that Twitter account, players will earn points for completing missions or posting bacon-related answers in their tweets and re-tweets, always including the #bacon hashtag.

A leader board on Wendy’s Facebook page shows current leaders in the point-based contest. The contest, which launched Nov. 9 and ends Friday Nov. 20, also provides for 12 prizes of $200 Wendy’s gift cards for daily points winners, and 12 daily sweepstakes drawings for prizes of $50 gift cards.

The Facebook page also allows users to send gifts of virtual bacon burgers to their social friends.