Image Courtesy of Wendy’s
Wendy’s Partners With Snapchat To Test New, Controversial Advertising
April 5, 2025
Wendy’s has partnered with the social media platform Snapchat to test out a new (and somewhat controversial) form of advertising.
MediaPost is reporting that the fast-food chain’s first outing with the platform in a program called Sponsored Snaps generated the equivalent of 52 million impressions in just 24 hours.
Snapchat first tested Sponsored Snaps in October as a way to boost its advertising revenue by contacting users directly in their chat inboxes with vertical full-screen branded content. This is the first time Snapchat has released performance data from a brand’s Sponsored Snap campaign.
Wendy’s in-app profile gained 55% more organic followers and nearly 12,000 clicks after the Sponsored Snap, resulting in a 17% overall ad awareness brand lift, according to Snap.
And while some experts find the method controversial because of its intrusive nature, Snapchat claims Sponsored Snaps are intended to engage prospective customers across the funnel within a single ad placement, attempting to “raise awareness with broad reach” while “improving consideration with people who choose to view the Snap” and “driving conversion with an in-message call-to-action.”
Wendy’s Plans To Hit $18 Billion
Last month, Wendy’s revealed its ambitious plans for the future, including opening 1,000 new restaurants and hitting $18 billion in sales by 2028.
By 2028, the business hopes to have between 8,100 and 8,300 restaurants operating throughout the world, with system revenues of up to $18 billion.
According to TipRanks, this amount would effectively double the chain’s current global sales growth rate (from 2%-3% to 5%-6% yearly).
“The Wendy’s brand has tremendous strength, and we will unlock its full potential, scaling our system to match the power of the brand,” said CEO Kirk Tanner in a statement. The CEO gestured toward “upcoming innovation and collaborations that will build on our high-quality menu with fresh ingredients.”
“Our relentless pursuit of excellence in our food and our restaurants will position Wendy’s for long-term success as we win across our global markets,” he added.
Wendy’s has also agreed to use a new algorithm to help steer its future strategy. The algorithm forecasts annual net unit growth of 3%-4%, annual sales growth of 5%-6%, and annual adjusted EBITDA (profits before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) growth of 7%-8%.
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