McDonald\'s Twitter effort backfires

Illinois-based fast-food chain McDonald\'s saw its Twitter marketing campaign go awry when the hashtag McDStories was hijacked by jokesters. The restaurant chain started the campaign Thursday by launching hashtags #McDStories, which was supposed to help spread feel-good stories about McDonald\'s, and #meetthefarmers, which was aimed at highlighting the eatery\'s use of fresh meats and produce, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday. However, the chain pulled the #McDStories hashtag after only 2 hours, saying the effort \"did not go as planned.\" The hashtag was hijacked by Twitter users saying less than kind things about the eatery and its food, such as: \"I only eat McDonald\'s when I am ill because it makes me feel sick anyway. #McDStories,\" which was tweeted by Twitter user knightps. \"These #McDStories never get old, kinda like a box of McDonald\'s 10 piece Chicken McNuggets left in the sun for a week,\" tweeted nelo_taylor. \"As Twitter continues to evolve its platform and engagement opportunities, we\'re learning from our experiences,\" Rick Wion, McDonald\'s social media director, said in a statement.