As the McRib comes out of hiding this week, McDonald’s is marking the occasion by joining the NFT craze. The world's largest restaurant chain will issue a limited number of non-fungible tokens it says will allow fans to capture the elusive sandwich year-round.
McDonald’s is issuing the NFTs though an online sweepstakes promotion that begins today and runs through Nov. 7. Ten fans who retweet the invitation on their public Twitter accounts during this period will be selected to receive the McRib NFT by Nov. 12.
The event marks the first time McDonald’s in the U.S. has participated in NFT marketing, as it joins dozens of companies exploring the possibilities of capitalizing on their intellectual property by producing authenticated digital versions of it. (Previously, the brand in Europe was one of the earliest to get in on NFTs in a campaign out of DDB Paris.) The McRib NFT resembles a trading card with a picture of the famous sandwich surrounded by a glowing frame.
The McRib—a boneless pork sandwich slathered in tangy barbecue sauce and served on a roll with tart pickles and grilled onions, dates back to 1981, when it was tested in a limited number of restaurants in the Kansas City area. It’s since become a reliable driver of seasonal traffic for the chain, often reissued with an accompanying marketing angle including various “farewell tours” and movie tie-ins. It rejoins menu boards at the 14,000 U.S, locations this week.