The Wendy’s 'webeefin' Mixtape Story
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One year ago, the Wendy’s® voice went to an octave no other brand had been before with the launch of the “webeefin?” mixtape. The 5-song EP roasted the charts the weekend it dropped and featured fresh beats and scorching lyrics that took Wendy’s “beef” with the Kings and Clowns of the fast food industry to the next level. Featuring chart toppers such as “Rest in Grease” and “Twitter Fingers”, the “webeefin?” EP was just the latest example of how Wendy’s is taking the sass from social media and inserting its voice into popular culture.
Wingin’ It
While Wendy’s sass sizzles in social media every day (after all, we are a brand known for our epic Twitter Roasts and playfully poking at the competition), one interaction in particular sparked an idea. In 2017, Wendy’s and Wingstop entered an epic rap battle on Twitter that blew our fans away. The next logical step? Give the fans more of what they want. So, we decided to bring this rap battle to life with “webeefin?”.
Bringing It to Life
To make this a reality, Wendy’s called on Six Course, Inc. From the beats, to the lyrics, and even the way the music was released organically on streaming services, every detail was consistent with how an up and coming rapper might release an EP. With lyric annotations on Genius and an interview with Billboard on Twitter, the details helped showcase the authenticity of the project and drive its success.
When all was said and done, “webeefin?” topped Spotify’s streaming charts and became the #2 most popular rap album on iTunes, edging out more “seasoned” rappers, such as Kendrick Lamar and Post Malone. No big deal.
While Wendy’s was officially shut out of the Grammy’s, the album brought home significant returns on some of the advertising industries’ largest stages, including wins at the Cannes Lions and the Clio Awards. However, the greatest returns on the album may be in the story that consumers don’t even know…
“Streams” for Adoption
Wendy’s never intended on profiting from the music. In fact, every dollar that was earned from downloads or streams of the album went directly to support Wendy’s brand charity of choice, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Proceeds from the album generated a donation of more than $40,000 to the Foundation.
For those of you who may have missed “webeefin?” or those of you who just must hear it one more time, it’s available on all streaming platforms:
Spotify Link - https://open.spotify.com/album/5bBpYxgZ1zm89a6GlnuQHu
Apple Music - https://open.spotify.com/album/5bBpYxgZ1zm89a6GlnuQHu
Genius Lyrics Annotations - https://genius.com/artists/At-wendys
“Red-head with her pigtails…out.”
(Drops mic)