9711: McTweets Bashtags.

From The Chicago Sun-Times…

McDonald’s #McDStories Twitter marketing effort goes awry

By Tiffany Hsu

McDonald’s latest marketing campaign was supposed to deliver social media praise via the hashtag #McDStories. Instead, in a classic example of the risks of Twitter-based advertising, tweeters with a much snarkier intent commandeered the effort.

The campaign started out as a wholesome, feel-good exercise. There were two hashtags, #McDStories and #meetthefarmers, that launched Thursday and were intended to highlight the fast-food giant’s commitment to fresh produce and meats.

Initially, tweets came in warm and fuzzy, like this one fromMcDonald’s itself: “When u make something w/ pride, people can taste it,” – McD potato supplier #McDStories.”

But then more Twitter users got wind of the campaign and began offering their own, usually backhanded interpretations.

To wit: “I only eatMcDonald’swhen I am ill because it makes me feel sick anyway. #McDStories,” tweeted Parker Stafford through the knightps handle.

Another user, tweeting as nelo_taylor, wrote: “These #McDStories never get old, kinda like a box of McDonald’s 10 piece Chicken McNuggets left in the sun for a week.”

Within two hours, McDonalds pulled #McDStories, saying that the effort “did not go as planned.” The #meetthefarmers hashtag, which escaped the Twitter thrashing and instead drew mostly positive tweets, remained.

“As Twitter continues to evolve its platform and engagement opportunities, we’re learning from our experiences,” Rick Wion, McDonald’s social media director, said in a statement today.