McDonald's Twitter effort backfires

Illinois-based fast-food chain McDonald's saw its Twitter marketing campaign go awry when the hashtag McDStories was hijacked by jokesters. The restaurant chain started the campaign Thursday by launching hashtags #McDStories, which was supposed to help spread feel-good stories about McDonald's, and #meetthefarmers, which was aimed at highlighting the eatery's use of fresh meats and produce, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday. However, the chain pulled the #McDStories hashtag after only 2 hours, saying the effort "did not go as planned." The hashtag was hijacked by Twitter users saying less than kind things about the eatery and its food, such as: "I only eat McDonald's when I am ill because it makes me feel sick anyway. #McDStories," which was tweeted by Twitter user knightps. "These #McDStories never get old, kinda like a box of McDonald's 10 piece Chicken McNuggets left in the sun for a week," tweeted nelo_taylor. "As Twitter continues to evolve its platform and engagement opportunities, we're learning from our experiences," Rick Wion, McDonald's social media director, said in a statement.