OMG! McDonald’s launched an adult Happy Meal!
…Not exactly a happy meal, but to Kidults it feels like one.
Another day, another collab… or at least that’s how it feels. Our momentum analysis shows there is a new formula for engaging fans on what they love.
⬇️ What’s Down: Fans Meeting Brands
⬆️ What’s Up: Brands Meeting Fans
Net-Net: Brands must go to the fans.
It used to be that brands created an image that people wanted to be a part of. Now, consumers no longer want to live in a brand’s (or an influencer's) world, they want brands to live in THEIR world.
Brands are expected to meet fans where they are know their passions, their hobbies, the things they are obsessing over. “I know you. I get you.”
Consumers are all in when a brand’s activations reflect back what their different communities of fans are interested in.
Let’s dig in.
As superfluous collaborations saturate the market, nothing seems off limits. As consumers become more confident, they’re not really interested in the ultra random.
Consumers are more sure and confident about their taste, interests, and what they like. Done are the days when brands can dictate a singular aspirational lifestyle (based on what the brand was all about). Individuals have different interests, why shouldn’t brands?
So, let’s talk about Fan Love – In a world where everything is knowable, brands are starting to know where to look to identify their fans’ passions and identify the different communities that exist within the fandom; in many cases, fans are pretty explicit in telling brands exactly what they want. The successful ones are listening.
Three multi-generational brands are leading the way:
1. 7-Eleven’s Golf Collection, The Convenience Tour (+15 velocity) is a capsule collection of golf merch that not only surged the brand’s overall momentum, it sold out in basically minutes. Why? The cultural dynamics of golf are changing – the sport is becoming more accessible, more fun, more diverse – and more aligned to the 7-Eleven fans. Nothing successful is ever as random as it seems.
2. MCDonald’s McNuggets x Streetwear (+13 Velocity). Tapping into NY streetwear purveyor, Kerwin Frost, McDonald’s just released the limited edition McNugget Buddies collab, delivering a special box and collectibles collection of McNugget Buddies toys.
Toys are not just for kids – they are also for “kidults,” or adults with kid-like tastes, who are increasingly driving toy sales worldwide. This is about tapping into McDonald's adult fans’ relationship with the brand – the excitement over collectibles stays with age.
Taking one more step – toys are at the forefront of streetwear culture. By enlisting Frost to design all new McNugget Buddies, McDonalds reintroduces the popular trinket as a coveted collectible.
3. Wheaties (+18 Velocity): Seeing the momentum in gaming, wheaties connected with Sony Playstation to release a novelty cereal box for ‘Marvel Spider-Man 2’.
Fans of Wheaties love gaming, so celebrating the debut of the new Spider-Man game with a limited edition cereal box was the perfect play.
➡️ What’s Next: Fans are VOCAL. Listening to them yields momentum. Crocs continues to lead the way by answering fans' long-time request for a Shrek Croc. Both “ugly,” both loveable.