McDonald's to become biggest brand on Facebook with 14,500 page social push

McDonald’s is poised to establish 14,500 Facebook pages in a bid to connect every US outlet to customers through social media.

The ambitious task will make the fast food franchise the biggest brand on Facebook, in terms of footprint.

McDonald’s social expansion is hoped to extend the brands customer service capabilities, providing “real time” responses to customer interactions.

Around 7,000 pages have gone live so far, with a further 7,500 to follow by the end of the year. The social push will also be mirrored on Twitter, with individual chains establishing accounts.

The company has been working with CRM software company Salesforce to push unified brand messages to each page.

David Martinelli, US digital marketing manager at McDonald’s said he recognises the projects ambition, but believes being social is essential for success.

Speaking at the Dreamforce conference in San Francisco, Martinelli said: “Fourteen thousand five hundred pages – we know that’s a lot of pages to get up and running, but we know the customer’s journey doesn’t end at the restaurant.

“We wanted to connect to them in the place they’re at and deliver that relevant content. It’s important to be part of the conversation and really understand what’s being said, and then join the conversation.”

McDonald’s US will support the new pages with paid ads at a local level, plus activity on other social media outlets.

The social push coincides with McDonald’s attempts to dispel “pink slime” claims that have haunted the franchise.