I don’t normally put a great deal of thought into my tweets. Chatting idly on Twitter one night I had no idea that I was about to send out a tweet that would resonate with millions of Australians and help turn a company’s fortunes around. A conversation sparked my keen sense of nostalgia, propelling me back to Sunday night dinners of baked beans or spaghetti on toast, followed by peaches and ice-cream. These memories triggered a tweet calling for others to revisit the foods of their childhood — and help save an Aussie company — by eating SPC peaches and ice-cream the following Sunday.

Sometimes the zeitgeist sees a range of factors align perfectly, and this was one of those moments. Tweets and retweets immediately started zinging across Twitter; impressive stuff for 9.30 on a Thursday night. My notifications filled rapidly, so much so that I couldn’t engage in conversation — maddening for someone as polite as me. I quickly created a Facebook page to support the cause, which gathered 100 likes in the first hour. Way too long after midnight I went to bed, my head buzzing with a sense of being on the edge of something big.

It’s not unusual for me to log into Twitter immediately upon wakening, but it is unusual for me to see hundreds of mentions overnight. I scrolled through them, overwhelmed by the sheer volume and diversity. At 8.30am I received a Direct Message from SPC thanking me for the initiative and saying they were keen to participate in #SPCsunday.

Journalists started following me on Twitter, asking to interview me. SPC’s managing director, Peter Kelly, heard about what was happening on social media and asked for his daughter’s help to create his own Twitter account. High profile names, politicians, actors and performers got on board with tweets and sharing pictures.

Millions of regular Aussies joined in. My local paper sent along a photographer at short notice; my only request was to keep my regrowth out of the shot. I hadn’t had time to dye my hair.

That landmark first tweet received extensive press coverage and many, many retweets. I can’t tell you how happy I am that it lacked a typo. It was a dizzying experience. By Sunday morning SPC products were being restocked across the country, with many supermarket managers bemused as to the interest levels. Instagram had never seen so many shots of retro baked bean jaffles or peaches on cornflakes!

I spent SPC Sunday in a daze, I’d done numerous radio and newspaper interviews and was trying to keep abreast of everything happening across Twitter, Facebook and Instagram — as well as have a life. By that evening I knew it’d been an enormous success. Images of empty shelves and what I soon learnt were millions of tweets were testament to this.

Monday morning I had to start my new job in the marketing department at the University of Newcastle. After I arrived and introduced myself, I had to explain that I’d inadvertently created a viral social media campaign and might have to duck out during the day to do a few interviews. I did — sheepishly slipping from my desk to try to speak about a phenomenon even I had difficultly understanding. Momentum continued to grow, rather than die back — unusual for a one-off event. I settled into my new job while fielding calls from the media and tried to get back to normal: working, parenting, blogging, coaching a couple of netball teams. But still, the SPC tweets and Facebook posts continued to escalate.

On the Tuesday my husband arrived home from a five-day cycling trip to Thredbo, where he’d had no mobile reception. He walked in the door to find my picture in the local paper, and me being interviewed on the TV news. I think he finally understands why I spend so much time on Twitter.

Thursday morning, one week after I’d sent the first tweet, I saw the news I’d been hoping for, but never expected. SPC had struck a deal with the Victorian government that would ensure its immediate future in Australia. Again, social media exploded, and the interviews started afresh.

The next day SPC took out full-page ads nationwide thanking everyone involved. I felt euphoric, as you only can when you’ve started something with the hope of making a difference, and then seen it realised.

It’s hard to come down from the high of participating in a movement that helped save not only a company, but a community. I’d started to return to a semblance of normality when, on 11 March, I received a DM on Twitter from Peter Kelly sharing a press release trumpeting a $70 million deal with Woolworths supermarkets over five years — and crediting the SPC Sunday campaign as playing a huge role. I was running in to work, so, using my phone I tweeted SPC simply: ‘Very exciting news!’ A rather understated response on reflection.

There were surprisingly few negative tweets or comments about SPC Sunday, but I think that the sheer success of the campaign proved the value of social media in an inclusive, community-building exercise. People have asked me, ‘What’s next?’ But I can’t help thinking that I should just sit back and enjoy this unique moment: it’s a pretty impressive one, and something that will be very hard to beat.