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McDonald’s© Social Media Communication and What It Says about Gen Y Candidates

Earlier this week, McDonald’s Corp. announced that Rick Wion, formerly of GolinHarris, Chicago, would be their first director of social media. While it is no surprise that the “two-all-beef-patties-special-sauce”™ company would ramp up their efforts in the social networking space, there are some key lessons from this new addition to their line-up.

1) Hire someone with experience, even if it isn’t corporate.

Wion does have an impressive resume. He was Vice President of Interactive Media at GolinHarris and worked a range of accounts, from start-ups to large organizations. He is experienced with online marketing, social media, and Web site development, all of which are characteristics that McDonald’s needs in a social media director. The question is: Where did he start? Where did he get his passion for online communications?

The answer: freelance. According to his GolinHarris bio, he designed many boutique Web sites in 1997 and 1998. His big break came by designing Apple Vacation’s Web site, the company’s first foray on the Internet. The lesson for us is that free-lancers shouldn’t be frowned upon. Many Generation Y employees are doing freelance work to gain more experience. Just because they don’t have an “account executive” title doesn’t mean that they aren’t putting in the long hours to make a quality product or build their portfolio. In fact, I would assert that those efforts help them more in the long run than sitting behind a desk for a simple paycheck.

2) The beauty of streamlining the process.

Before Wion assumed this new position, McDonald’s had an online presence, but was not entirely engaged in social media conversations. Not only will Wion need to establish the hamburger giant in the social media space, but also make it easy for the outreach efforts handle to have an international reach. Honestly, I’m surprised they didn’t do it sooner.

To McDonald’s credit, they saw the need and filled it with a qualified, talented and young individual. They were strategic about their choice and where to place Wion in the corporate structure. The lesson for us is that if you’re hiring a Gen Y communications person, make sure they are placed in an appropriate environment within your company where they will be challenged and mentored. Do not place them in an area where they won’t be understood or cannot receive the help they might need – especially if you’re asking them to develop corporate social media policies.

3) Enourage Gen Y’ers to recognize their target audience for what it is. Always promote transparency and organic growth.

This is really a word of caution to all of us, not just McDonald’s. As they are breaking apart new Twitter handles and YouTube channels for their various audiences, McDonald’s and Wion need to remember that they will spin their wheels targeting niche audiences of Chicken McNugget™ consumers with marketing pitches if their message isn’t genuine. According to Everything PR, Wion’s first order of business is to “convince mommy bloggers that junk-food is healthy.” Our lesson: ask your social media person, regardless if they are Gen Y or not, to be transparent in their motives and communications. I have a feeling that if Wion doesn’t approach McDonald’s reputation issues in a clearly open and communicative way, his efforts will fail.

I truly think McDonald’s made a smart move by hiring Wion to craft their online presence. As a fellow Gen Y’er, I greatly appreciate the fact that Wion used his free-lance experience to his advantage, ultimately landing him a job that can skyrocket his career. Hopefully he won’t start singing the BigMac™ theme song while he works!