McDonald's unveils Chicken Big Mac with dupe restaurant and livestream push

Diving certificate:

• McDonald's is promoting the debut of the Chicken Big Mac on October 10 with a campaign that includes a new commercial, experiential activations, livestreaming partnerships and more, Marketing Dive reveals.
• The chain launched the sandwich at McDonnell's this weekend, a pop-up experience hosted by Chain that was presented as a replica of the iconic brand. McDonald's also teamed up with livestreamer Kai Cenat to discuss whether the limited-time offer is actually a Big Mac.
• The initiative also includes an upcoming commercial, a Las Vegas Sphere takeover, a mini-game on Zynga and an event during Billboard Latin Music Week, underscoring the many channels marketers must use to connect with young consumers.

Insight into the dive:

McDonald's is flexing its marketing muscles – and those of more than a dozen agency partners – for the limited-time Chicken Big Mac. The offering is a poultry-themed twist on the brand's most iconic menu item and will be available at participating restaurants nationwide starting next week. The Chicken Big Mac campaign shows how McDonald's continues to pay tribute to its heritage while introducing its food to new generations of consumers.

“By tapping into some of our fans' greatest passions, from dupe culture to live streaming, we are able to serve more than just a sandwich,” said Tariq Hassan, chief marketing and customer experience officer at McDonald's USA, in a press release statement. “This campaign truly has something for everyone to enjoy and we are offering experiences that will surprise and delight them, all before the Chicken Big Mac hits restaurants.”

The Golden Arches owner, in collaboration with the Golin Agency, tapped into dupe culture with McDonnell's, a similar dining experience that served Chicken Big Macs in Los Angeles this past weekend. McDonnell's was hosted by Chain, a restaurant concept that reimagines classic chain restaurants. Marketers like hair care brand Olaplex have capitalized on dupe culture, the tactic favored by Generation Z to find affordable substitutes for premium luxury items.

McDonald's also partnered with Kai Cenat, the fifth most popular streamer on Twitch with more than 13 million subscribers. Cenat will discuss with his celebrity friends whether the Chicken Big Mac is a Big Mac or not. The Amazon-owned livestreaming platform continues to be a way to reach young consumers at the intersection of gaming, culture and beyond.

In addition to the Cenat partnership, Wieden + Kennedy is behind several custom ad placements, including a retro mini-game on Zynga that lets players build a Chicken Big Mac and a video series from gaming brand XSET that remixes video game soundtracks and ASMR sounds . On October 10, McDonald's will also take over the Sphere in Las Vegas, transforming the massive outdoor advertising space into a Big Mac and a Chicken Big Mac.

The debate continues in an upcoming IW Group commercial featuring Fresh Off the Boat cast members Randall Park and Hudson Yang. Additionally, as part of a promotion led by Boden, the brand will perform with Mexican music group Eslabon Armado at a “Big Mac Bash” during Billboard Latin Music Week.

The multichannel, multicultural marketing push for the Chicken Big Mac is similar to the kitchen sink approach McDonald's took last year for a campaign celebrating Grimace's birthday. This nostalgic mascot promotion included a new spot, an 8-bit video game, merchandise, a Snapchat augmented reality experience and more. McDonald's attributed U.S. sales growth in part to the campaign, describing it as a viral phenomenon that serves as “further evidence of the power of marketing at McDonald's today.”

McDonald's reported a 0.7% decline in U.S. comparable sales in the second quarter of 2024, the first decline in that metric since 2020. To increase traffic and transactions, the chain has increased its focus on marketing its value-added offerings.