After years of bad press and rumors about all of the terrible things about their foods, McDonalds is attempting to answer questions right from the source: the consumer. At the end of May 2012, McDonald’s Canada started asking consumers to submit their questions regarding their food through Facebook and Twitter. Questions were then answered on their website.

McDonalds has been successful in using Twitter in order to start and leverage a conversation about its brand. By allowing consumers to ask anything about the food, McDonalds risks publicizing some negative issues.

McDonalds has also been very successful in managing its tone throughout these conversations. Maintaining a serious voice when necessary, but at the same time being humourous when possible.

It will be interesting to see how this strategy works out for McDonalds, as it could be an area where consumers can air negative press. However, I believe this strategy should be considered by brands confident enough to answer all questions about their brand publically.