See brands' first Threads—Wendy's, Pepsi and others launch accounts on Twitter rival

Brand social media teams quickly sprang into action last night when Meta launched Threads, its answer to Twitter. Social media managers immediately began crafting their first posts for the new text-based platform as millions of users flooded the app that is linked to Instagram. Over 30 million people signed up for Threads as of Thursday morning, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared on app, and brands have been eager to engage with this influx of consumers. Opinion: How Threads can empower brands with better engagement Also read: How Meta is pitching to advertisers In their first posts on the app, several brands nodded to the rush to join the platform and teased rival brands that they beat to the punch. Lyft, for example, compared itself to its competitor, Uber, across multiple posts, including one reading, “Goodmorning [sic] from the only threading rideshare app,” and another equating it to Threads and Uber to Twitter. Post by @lyft View on Threads Wendy’s brought its snarky brand voice, which it honed on Twitter, to the new social platform, jokingly bashing rival fast food chain McDonald’s with a post that simply states “mid donald.” (“Mid” is online slang for something that is below average.) McDonald’s, for its part, didn’t engage with the dig when it joined Threads a few hours later, instead continuing its ongoing social media “takeover” by the brand’s newly-revived mascot, Grimace. Also read: See Wendy's best TikTok zingers for 'National Roast Day' Post by @mcdonalds View on Threads The “mid donald” post was just one in a flurry of bizarre posts from Wendy’s, which ranged from cans of the restaurant’s chili to references to video game and anime characters. In some of Wendy’s first posts on the platform, the brand announced it would refer to posts on Threads as “threats,” and later changed its bio on the platform to “food threats.” Wendy's already had 67,000 followers on Threads as of this afternoon, while McDonald's had 114,000 followers. Post by @wendys View on Threads Discussion around what to call posts on Threads, along with puns tied to the platform’s name, were running themes among brands. American Eagle, for example, proposed the term “threets” as a possible name to call a post on the app, and referred to users on the platform as “threeters.” Dunkin’ wove in a pun in its introductory post, asking users if they were “thready to go on a dunkin’ run,” while bedding brand Casper cheekily asked users about their “thread count.” Read more: How Threads is poised to steal Twitter advertisers Post by @dunkin View on Threads Several brands made posts nodding to Threads’ close resemblance to Twitter. Pepsi, for example, asked users “iS tHReaDs oKaY?” in reference to the brand’s frequent comparison to its competitor, Coca-Cola, when someone attempts to order a Coke at a restaurant serving Pepsi products. Reality dating show “Love Island” also noted the similarity of the platform’s features and user interface to that of Twitter, posting, “It’s giving familiar.” And some brands, including CoverGirl, expressed their preference for their experience on Threads thus far over Twitter, which has been beset by several controversies since Elon Musk took over the app last fall. Post by @covergirl View on Threads Spirit Halloween directly referenced Threads’ potential role as a “Twitter killer” in its first post on the new platform, photoshopping the retailer’s banner onto the Twitter headquarters, alluding to how Spirit Halloween's season stores often appear in recently shuttered storefronts. Post by @spirithalloween View on Threads For a number of brands joining Threads, the voice of their social media managers shone through with quips about their need to incorporate the new platform into their brands’ social media strategies. Hulu shared a gif from its series “The Bear” to humorously express social media managers’ frustration with having to formulate a new platform strategy—especially at 7:00 p.m. ET on a Wednesday—while Bravo joked, “Oh great, a new platform for Housewives to feud on.” Also read: Ad Age debuts Gen Z contributor column Netflix, which received early access to Threads and began posting on Tuesday, opted to check in with social media managers and ask “y’all okay???” to which the social media managers behind several brands—including Spotify and NBCUniversal’s Peacock—replied they were not. HBO’s post on this topic, though, was perhaps the most blunt. Post by @hbo View on Threads And, of course, many brands infused humor into their arrival on Threads. Oreo recreated the popular “This Is Fine” meme, replacing the cartoon dog surrounded by fire with an Oreo cookie. Cinnabon pointed out the undercurrent of excitement buzzing through the new platform, writing that the energy on the platform “feels like the first day of school.” Hanes made a somewhat racy post asking users, “So when are we gonna start posting thirst traps in our underwear on here?” Amazon, too, leaned into humor upon its arrival on Threads, tying the platform’s name to the ability to buy thread on Amazon, while Slim Jim embraced absurdity and repeatedly wrote the word “Mommy” in all capitals. Post by @oreo View on Threads And social platforms that aren’t direct competitors of Threads seemed eager to join the new platform, too. Both YouTube and TikTok announced their arrival on the app within hours of its launch. Post by @tiktok View on Threads Also read: 5 new TikTok trends that brands can follow

See brands' first Threads—Wendy's, Pepsi and others launch accounts on Twitter rival

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