How McDonald’s is marketing the Chicken Big Mac’s US debut

McDonald’s is rolling out the Chicken Big Mac with a question for consumers: Is it a Big Mac? To help answer this, the Golden Arches will have streamer Kai Cenat weigh in, as part of a marketing blitz that also includes ads on the Las Vegas Sphere and a custom video game on Zynga. The sandwich hits the U.S. on Oct. 10 for a limited time. That day, Cenat and two undisclosed guests will try and debate the Chicken Big Mac on a livestream. Wieden+Kennedy is behind the partnership with Cenat, the popular streamer with 13.4 million followers on Twitch and more than 6.5 million YouTube subscribers. On Wednesday, the world’s largest restaurant chain teased the collaboration with an Instagram post of a McDonald’s bag in Cenat’s room alongside the caption, “Chat’s about to pop off 10.10” View this post on Instagram A post shared by McDonald’s (@mcdonalds) The Chicken Big Mac has been available in overseas markets such as the U.K and Australia, but this marks its first national U.S. rollout. Cenat has previously given love to McDonald’s on his YouTube channel. Two years ago, he posted a video of a church choir singing his order at the fast feeder. Cenat is also currently starring in T-Mobile ads with Snoop Dogg and Patrick Mahomes. Cenat’s large following has also gotten him into some trouble. In August 2023, he was charged with inciting a riot after announcing a giveaway of gaming consoles and other electronics in New York City’s Union Square. Thousands of fans showed up, with some smashing car windows and climbing on buses. The charges were dropped after Cenat agreed to pay $55,000 to the Union Square Partnership to cover cleanup and landscaping repair costs. McDonald’s campaign will also feature an ad from IW Group starring Randall Park and Hudson Yang, the father-son duo from “Fresh Off the Boat,” the ABC series that ran from 2012-2020. They take opposite sides of the Chicken Big Mac versus Big Mac debate, each arguing for why their sandwich is the better choice. The spot is expected to debut next week. The Chicken Big Mac will also take over the surface of the Sphere in Las Vegas. The Sphere will first display the original Big Mac before transitioning into the Chicken Big Mac, again asking if the Chicken Big Mac is a Big Mac. Smaller campaign activations will include a retro mini-game on Zynga that lets players build their own Chicken Big Mac and a video series about gamers remixing classic video game soundtracks with ASMR sounds of eating a Chicken Big Mac. McDonald’s also worked with agency Boden for an activation at the Billboard Latin Music Week later this month. The sandwich follows consumers’ growing love for chicken, which has prompted chains to add the protein to menus in various forms. Popeyes, Whataburger and Applebee’s added wings last year, for instance. McDonald’s, meanwhile, has been advertising a mix of nostalgia and value. The new campaign comes on the heels of its Collector’s Cup meal, which featured six collectible cups featuring previous McDonald’s collaborations. The chain has also been putting a lot of marketing muscle behind its $5 Meal Deal, one of many value plays that began flooding the market earlier this year.

How McDonald’s is marketing the Chicken Big Mac’s US debut

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