Fast-food brand at centre of most-retweeted tweet of all time

US fast-food brand Wendy's has found itself at the centre of one of the most widely shared pieces of user-generated content of all time.

High school student Carter Wilkerson tweeted the brand asking how many retweets he would need if he was to secure a lifetime's supply of free chicken nuggets. Wendy's replied promptly, setting his target at 18 million, with Mr Wilkerson taking up the challenge.

The retweets began to pour in, with celebrities and other brands helping Mr Wilkerson to reach his target and the hashtag #NuggsforCarter soon trending across Twitter.

Its popularity soared so much that a custom emoji was even created, showing a small image of a Wendy's-branded box of chicken nuggets each time the hashtag is used.

Mr Wilkerson's original tweet has now received more than 3.42 million retweets, overtaking the previous most-retweeted Twitter post, a selfie taken by TV star Ellen DeGeneres with various celebrities at the Oscars in 2014.

The buzz surrounding the new holder of the crown demonstrates how brands interacting with social media users can provide a huge boost to their profile and reputation, alongside demonstrating their sense of fun and commitment to their customers.