Wendy’s uses McBroken.com data to punk McDonald’s where the McFlurry machines are down

It’s a cliché at this point that McDonald’s ice cream machines are often broken. Wendy’s has had fun with this over years (remember “When the tweets are as broken as the ice cream machine”?) but took it to another level recently with a data-driven savaging of its rival. Wendy’s partnered with McBroken.com, an independent website that tracks which McD’s ice cream machines are down, to find locations where you couldn’t order a McFlurry. Then it rolled up with a Frosty truck to give out its own desserts. (See the video above.) Created a few years ago by a McFlurry fan named Rashiq Zahid, McBroken.com works through nifty data collection. Zahid taps into McDonald’s iOS and Android apps—if the ice cream machine is offline, the app won’t let you add an ice cream order to your cart. That triggers a red dot at that McDonald’s location on McBroken.com’s virtual map. Wendy’s tracked that same data, and noticed that Chicago, Houston, Las Vegas, New York and Los Angeles were most in need of Frosties. Of those cities, it then chose Chicago for the activation. The stunt was part of a larger campaign where Wendy’s has been selling small Frosties for $1. In a nice touch, Wendy’s has also put banner ads on McBroken.com. “The ‘Frosty Fix’ program shows how Wendy’s works to meet our customers’ needs in a fun and innovative way and make sure they know they can count on Wendy’s wherever and whenever they need a fix!” said Lindsay Radkoski, chief marketing officer at Wendy’s. “Wendy has always been a little bit rebellious, especially when it comes to those moments when other fast-food restaurants let you down,” said Alli Pierce, chief creative officer at VML. “This was the perfect opportunity for her personality to show up outside of your social feed—fixing a well-known problem IRL and having a little fun with it.” More Creativity coverage from Ad Age: Sign up for our daily Creativity newsletter to see the best stories of the day.

Wendy’s uses McBroken.com data to punk McDonald’s where the McFlurry machines are down

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