---
title: Learning from Wendy’s marketing misstep
description: "In this week's brief, we're digging into Wendy's marketing \"oopsie\" and sharing ways to use events in your marketing."
---

[Good Marketing Brief ](https://www.feathr.co/brief)

# [Learning from Wendy’s marketing misstep](https://www.feathr.co/brief/wendys-marketing-misstep)

 Written by [Nhu Te](https://www.feathr.co/brief/author/nhu-te) | Mar 7, 2024 7:28:44 PM

| ## 071: Learning from Wendy’s marketing misstep |
| --- |

 

Last week, Wendy’s announced that it planned on rolling out “dynamic pricing” with digital menu boards, hinting that prices would change based on demand. After receiving some serious public pushback, [Wendy’s backtracked and clarified that prices would not be increasing](https://fortune.com/2024/02/28/wendys-surge-pricing-dynamic-company-statement/) — just discounted during slower business hours.

What lessons can nonprofits draw from this PR nightmare? Be clear with your messaging, and don’t hamper the trust of your audience. Trust is a motivating factor in their decision to back your cause, often influencing whether they stay or move on elsewhere.

Noticing more lapsed supporters? Continue leaning into [community and experience](https://www.feathr.co/brief/whats-your-supporter-experience-like). To dig into that a little bit more, this week’s brief spotlights how events can engage new supporters and recapture older ones.

|  |
| --- |

|  |
| --- |

| ## Snackable snippets  |
| --- |

| Call out the loss of exclusive membership benefits 📖 Research from NextAfter finds that communicating the benefits members will lose if they don’t reactivate their membership is a powerful motivator for lifting conversion rates. The Heritage Foundation saw a 103.5% increase in donations. While the experiment had a smaller sample size, this technique shows that a loss aversion tactic can be effective at recapturing members on the brink of lapsing. Ways to use events to steward peer-to-peer participants 📖 Peer-to-peer experiences, like an endurance event or a fitness challenge, can be a pretty effective acquisition and retention tool. The experience of events is evergreen — creating a space for people to learn more about your cause, bond over shared interests, and feel about the community they’re involved with. NonProfit PRO rounds up some peer-to-peer boosting tips from the Peer-to-Peer Professional Forum. A couple of my favorite tips: find major donors to matching gifts and use influencers as ambassadors. The nonprofit guide to events 📖 Hosting nonprofit fundraising events can be a lot like herding cats, especially if you’re new to the nonprofit world. Qgiv’s Ultimate Event Guide will help you become a master of ceremonies with helpful advice on how to host more successful fundraising events. Download today — it's free! How to make your audience feel engaged 🎧 Bringing his wealth of experience in fundraising, Jonathan Meagher-Zayas joins Noah in this episode of Good Marketing Unplugged to explain the value of creating spaces where people feel empowered. Engaging supporters and making them feel a part of something bigger is more than data; it’s creating real, meaningful relationships with your community. LinkedIn becoming a hot spot for influencer marketing? 📖 LinkedIn, the networking platform for working professionals, has been labeled the least interesting of all the social media apps. But thanks to content creators like Corporate Natalie, it’s becoming a hot spot for influencer marketing. In November, the platform reached a milestone of 1 billion users, accompanied by a 24% jump in content sharing from 2022 to 2023.   |
| --- |

| ## In the news |
| --- |

There is growing frustration among marketers over Meta’s account management services — [or lack thereof](https://digiday.com/marketing/metas-layoffs-continue-to-impact-advertisers-as-the-company-replaces-team-members-with-ai/).

Despite significant ad spend, customers are noticing drastic changes in account management, like leaner teams and AI replacements, leaving them with restricted access to analytics.

*****

Remember, [nostalgia marketing](https://www.feathr.co/brief/inside-nostalgia-marketing)? Brands like Pepsi and Jell-O are leaning into that trend but [adding a modern spin to it](https://www.marketingdive.com/news/retro-packaging-design-brands-nostalgia-pepsi-jello/708634/). Retro designs bring up feelings of the past, and people connect to it.

“It’s an emotional tie,” says Miles Marmo, Co-Founder of Agency Squid. “You want to be present in that moment. I think that’s where nostalgia can really find its groove.”

 

| ## For your inspiration folder |
| --- |

Influencer marketing isn't going away anytime soon. It's a useful peer-to-peer tactic: People follow content creators whom they identify with and trust.

In this episode of [We Are for Good Podcast](https://www.weareforgood.com/episode/514), Jon and Becky dive into this a little more with Nick Lynch, Co-Founder and CEO of Collidescope.io. For nonprofits unsure of where to start, Nick recommends starting with your existing supporters and identifying any content creators.

[Source: We Are For Good Podcast](https://www.weareforgood.com/episode/514)

|  |
| --- |

[View full post](https://www.feathr.co/brief/wendys-marketing-misstep)

```json
{
  "@context" : "http://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "Nhu Te"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2024-12-12T21:05:10.825Z",
  "datePublished" : "2024-03-07T19:28:44Z",
  "headline" : "Learning from Wendy’s marketing misstep",
  "image" : {
    "@type" : "ImageObject",
    "height" : 500,
    "url" : "https://www.feathr.co/hubfs/GMB-FeaturedImage-1000x500%20%281%29.png",
    "width" : 1000
  },
  "mainEntityOfPage" : "https://www.feathr.co/brief/wendys-marketing-misstep",
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "height" : 60,
      "url" : "/hs/hsstatic/content_shared_assets/static-1.4092/img/default-amp-logo.png",
      "width" : 60
    },
    "name" : "Good Marketing Brief"
  }
}
```