Hilarious Times Big Companies Engaged on Social Media

Founded In: 1898
Est. Yearly Earnings: $14.7 billion*

Maybe the reason why Goodyear is quick to jump on haters on social media is because the company is so long in the tooth. Even the best of us get a little testy with age. The tire and rubber manufacturer wasn’t taking any nonsense when someone called Maureen dared to question why she always saw the Goodyear blimp flying around. 

Goodyear @GoodyearBlimp / Twitter.com

Goodyear ended the debate in one fell swoop, telling her, “It’s literally what we do, Maureen.” Goodyear launched its first advertising blimp in 1925, but had already taken to the skies years prior to that. Let that be a lesson to you, Mo.

Founded In: 1962
Est. Yearly Earnings: $2 billion*

Taco fans know only too well that Taco Bell is the master of spicy comebacks. When much-loved American brand Old Spice dared to ask why “fire sauce” isn’t really made with fire, the big wigs at Taco Bell had the perfect response. 

Taco Bell @tacobell / Twitter.com

Is Old Spice’s deodorant really made with old spices? That’s a touche if we’ve ever seen one. Needless to say, Procter&Gamble brought a knife to a gunfight when they started that Twitter war. Taco Bell emerged triumphant while Old Spice buried its head in the cinnamon. 

Founded In: 1831
Est. Yearly Earnings: $17.5 million*

Merriam-Webster is a publishing house that is perhaps most famous for its dictionary. While the brand’s selection of reference books certainly brings home the bacon, the company could make millions from its cutting wit, too. 

@MerriamWebster / Twitter.com

In 2017, one unsuspecting Twitter user dared to ask why the word “funner” wasn’t in the dictionary – or so they thought. The word was, in fact, already in the dictionary. Not only that, but Merriam-Webster had previously written an article on the subject, so it had the receipts to back it up. That’s embarrassing.  

Founded In: 1928
Est. Yearly Earnings: $17.21 billion (Procter & Gamble)*

Procter & Gamble’s Charmin toilet paper brand may seem like the last big name in the world to engage on social media. After all, what does toilet paper really have to say for itself? As it turns out, Charmin isn’t just a fluffy white necessity. It’s an authority on toilet etiquette. 

Charmin @Charmin / Twitter.com

When one user tweeted asking about appropriate toilet timing before an appointment, the Procter brand cleared up the entire situation, leaving no bases uncovered. It’s a question you see popping up very often, but once you know the answer, you know it forever. 

Founded In: 1923
Est. Yearly Earnings: $91 billion (Nestle)*

When it comes to using sports to plug its Butterfinger candy bar, Nestle is second to none. On one occasion it even dropped a ton of Butterfingers into the hometown of an athlete that dropped the ball in a joke that wasn’t very well received. 

Butterfinger @Butterfinger / Twitter.com

At one point, they also took aim at much-loved football player Tom Brady, sharing a picture of him dropping the ball during a game with the line, “Thanks to Tom Brady for helping promote our brand #butterfingers.” Let’s hope Brady got a slice of the pie for his efforts. 

Founded In: 1997
Est. Yearly Earnings: $25 billion*

Almost everyone has Netflix these days, so it’s hardly surprising that the streaming service has turned into a complete powerhouse worth billions of dollars. Over the past few years, Netflix has worked on expanding its collection of original TV shows. However, Conan O’Brien took umbrage at this and dared to critique the titan on Twitter. 

@netflix / Twitter.com

Netflix wasn’t going down without a fight, reminding Conan in no uncertain terms that when it comes to mass-produced TV in quantity, he isn’t exactly immune. Netflix 1, Conan 0. It’s clear to see that Netflix knows its comedy, too.  

Founded In: 1986
Est. Yearly Earnings: $10 billion*

Kris Jenner is the most famous momager in the world, but she also has her own businesses that don’t involve her daughters, like selling jewelry. When she shared one of her latest pieces on Twitter back in 2016, Staples was quick to jump on her. 

@StaplesCanada / Twitter.com

Let’s face it, there’s no denying that the necklace does look like a bunch of staples strung together. The company took aim, fired, and brought down Kris Jenner’s jewelry line in one fell swoop. It was a brave endeavor and one that Twitter found hilarious. 

Founded In: 1954
Est. Yearly Earnings: $5 billion*

Back in 2019, the fast-food giant decided to tweet out a list of its most-seen replies. Redbox had the audacity to try and tackle the King, going in hot with “Ok boomer.” Burger King was having none of that and took less than five minutes to reply with “Dude, you rent DVDs…” 

Burger King @BurgerKing / Twitter.com

Redbox does rent DVDs, which is probably why it isn’t anywhere near as well known as streaming giants like Netflix or Amazon. Burger King proved that its replies are as fiery as its jalapeno poppers.  

Founded In: 1917
Est. Yearly Earnings: $28 million*

In 2017 Hostess unintentionally started a war with MoonPie by declaring their Golden CupCakes the “official snack cake of the eclipse.” MoonPie wasn’t standing for that disrespect and quickly shut that idea down with a simple “Lol ok.” 

MoonPie @MoonPie Twitter.com

The war didn’t end there, with Hostess replying, “‘Cake’ not pie. There’s enough moon to go around.” Their response didn’t get anywhere near as much engagement as MoonPie’s diss which was retweeted over 161,000 times.

Founded In: 1969
Est. Yearly Earnings: $1.4 billion*

Wendy’s has been around for decades, but the company has done a good job of moving with the times. In fact, when Wendy’s tweeted out about National Roast Day some time ago, the person operating their social media accounts was nothing short of genius. 

Wendy's @Wendy's / Twitter.com

Hootie owl responded to the challenge, but Hooters probably should have stayed out of the game. When asked what they had, Wendy’s replied with, “Uniforms our employees can wear in the winter”, taking a swift shot at Hooters’ jugular and coming out on top. 

Founded In: 1963
Est. Yearly Earnings: $450 million*

Sunny D has faced some criticism over the years for its ingredients, even leading it to be banned in the UK. However, the drink is still alive and well and making hundreds of millions for Procter & Gamble. In 2018, one Twitter user thought they were being clever by stealing a joke from Reddit and passing it off as their own. 

Sunny D @sunnydelight / Twitter.com

The juice brand didn’t play when it replied, calling the user out for stealing the joke. It was a slightly venomous reply that was more sharp than witty. At least we know that Sunny D is more than willing to battle to the end to protect its brand reputation, even if it can’t dispute it!

Founded In: 1983
Est. Yearly Earnings: $3 billion*

It’s not often that you see a flirty exchange between two brands on Twitter, but in 2016 the universe threw us a bone. Jimmy John’s reached out to Wendy’s to remind them it was Kiss A Ginger Day, but Wendy’s decided it wasn’t into it. 

Jimmy John's @jimmyjohns / Twitter.com

In the end, the joke backfired on Wendy’s and the discussion was brought to an amicable conclusion. Did Wendy’s and Jimmy John’s get together for a sweet romantic dinner that night? If they did, it was kept firmly offline. 

Founded In: 1973
Est. Yearly Earnings: $800 million*

It’s no secret that we care more about the environment than ever before as a society, so it’s natural to see more and more people challenging brand practices online. However, one Twitter user picked the wrong brand to call out when it asked Patagonia if distributing their catalogs was green. 

@patagonia / Twitter.com

As it turns out, the catalog paper was recycled, the ink was non-toxic and Patagonia was more than happy to offer to take the Twitter user off its mailing list. There endeth the environmentally-friendly schooling from this incredibly informed brand. 

Founded In: 1977
Est. Yearly Earnings: $409 million*

The internet got two for the price of one with this unlikely exchange. When TikTok decided to shade Instagram out for introducing Reels, it got challenged by an unlikely brand. Sandwich aficionado PotBelly decided that TikTok needed to be put firmly back in its place. 

Potbelly @Potbelly / TikTok.com

“Yeah, kinda looks like Vine, huh,” replied the chain. It’s not clear if TikTok ever replied, but considering it was publicly outed as a hypocrite, it probably retreated to its tech cave and swore off Twitter for a little while. You can’t win them all, even if you’re a billion-dollar entity.