The campaign theme, “You know when it’s real,” highlights qualities like fresh, not frozen, beef as being more “real” than McDonald’s or Burger King’s food.

(Defining reality is a centuries’ old challenge, and if anyone from Descartes to Baudrillard couldn’t do it, I’m doubting Wendy’s really can, but this is advertising).
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We’re not invited to think too hard about what real really means to us, so we take the statement at face value. Real food = fresh.

What’s exceptionally clever is the way Wendy’s microsite employs canned customer Tweets. Now, “real” means not only real food, but the fact that real people really like that food.

Social networking is more about listening and following than preaching, cultivating places where customers naturally assemble to talk about a brand and then featuring those conversations, rather than brands simply talking about themselves.

Using social media, and the message contained in those media, boosts a message of authenticity. An expertly conceived execution of McLuhan’s over-quoted “the medium is the message” as a powerful double-meaning (with bacon).