i’m lovin’ it

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Hey! I was back on NPR Marketplace talking about streaming and why Spotify, Apple Music, and TikTok all have different top artists and songs. It was a fun conversation, especially with all the year-end lists.

​This week’s episode and memo are about celebrity fast food meals. It’s been 3.5 years since McDonald’s Travis Scott meal. We’ve seen some meals add billions of dollars in market cap to their parent company. Meanwhile, we’ve seen other meals make us wonder who TF thought that was a good idea.

To break it all down, I’m joined by my guy, Dr. Marcus Collins, who’ll be joining us for several more episodes in 2024. Can’t wait.

You can listen here or read below for some highlights from our conversation.

celebrity fast food meals

McDonald’s Travis Scott may have kicked off the modern fast-food partnership, but it’s not the first meal of its kind. In 1992, The McJordan (named after Michael Jordan) was a popular item in the Chicagoland area and the Carolinas. Similarly, the McD’s Larry Bird “Big 33” sandwich was in the greater Boston area. These were launched to line up with the Barcelona Summer Olympics U.S. basketball team.

Yet despite Jordan’s Beatlemania's level of popularity and the global impact of the Dream Team, these meals were regional campaigns from McDonald’s. Michael Jordan wasn’t even in the McJordan’s commercial despite having been in other McDonald’s commercials! Money was definitely left on the table.

That’s one of several reasons why it took nearly 30 years for McDonald’s to take these partnerships mainstream. Consumer brands and their agencies weren’t used to thinking like this. Sure, Michael Jordan’s name used to sell Gatorade and Wheaties boxes, but putting his face on an existing product is different than launching a nationwide product variant named after him.

The best initiatives often require some setback to spark action. McDonald’s had its fair share leading up to these celebrity fast food meals.

You can listen to the full episode here or keep reading for more highlights.

How artists helped McDonald’s bounce back

The 2000s and 2010s were a rough time for the fast-food industry. Documentaries like Super Size Me and Fast Food Nation put the global chain and its competitors in damage control. As Marcus said in our episode, the companies tried to cater to outside criticism. They introduced salads and other healthier menu items that didn’t resonate.

In 2019, McDonald’s teamed up with Marcus’ former agency, Wieden+Kennedy, to turn things around. They tapped into the “Fan Truths” that everyone has about their experience with McDonald’s. “Everybody has a McDonald’s order” became the spark that led to the Famous Orders commercial that launched in February 2020 during the Super Bowl.

Kim Kardashian, Erin Andrews, Kanye West, and even fictional characters like Back to the Future’s Marty McFly shared their orders for the spot:

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When Famous Orders worked well, they decided to take it further with The Travis Scott Meal.

The meal worked because it lined up with the same “Fan Truths” idea of everyone having an order—me, you, Travis Scott, and other customers. Second, this was timely because Travis Scott was in the middle of one of the most commercially successful years an artist had had with brand partnerships. In 2020 he had deals with Fortnite, Tenet, PlayStation, Nike, General Mills, and McDonald’s. This meal also launched in the middle of the pandemic. This meal was an opportunity for fans to go outside and have a shared experience during an otherwise isolating time.

The campaign also resonated because McDonald’s ignored the critics and leaned into the tens of millions of customers they serve every year. Sure, there was a lot to learn from the 2000s documentaries that critiqued the industry, but there were still plenty of people who loved the company.

It reminds me of a common artist's turnaround journey. There are countless artists with a stellar debut project but followed it up with another album that tried too hard to cater to the masses. Usually, it’s that next project that speaks back to their core audience. From Future to Beyonce, to J. Cole and The Weeknd. McDonald’s had a similar journey.

​The Travis Scott meal’s ROI paved the way for meals from Mariah Carey, BTS, J Balvin, Cardi B and Offset, and Saweetie.

Who approved this?

The McDonald’s deals inspired the rest of the fast-food industry to do their versions. Some of them made sense, like Tim Horton’s and Justin Bieber’s Timbiebs. But many others fell flat.

Marcus and I talked about Nelly. Burger King introduced the The Cornell Haynes Jr Meal. They intentionally chose his “real name” since Burger King is all about “real food and ingredients.” I understand the logic, but there’s still a disconnect since people don’t refer to Nelly by his government name!

This isn’t a situation like Shawn Carter or Marshall Mathers, where their real names have been in their album titles and part of their brands. Also, how does Nelly keep getting caught up in these campaigns like these? It wasn’t that long ago since Honey Nut Cheerios “Must Be The Honey” commercials.

Then, there are the more random collaborations, like Ice Spice and Dunkin’. Again, I understand that her fanbase is named the Munchkins and she has “spice” in her name. But is there that much overlap between the Munchkin fanbase and the Dunkin customer? Also, who puts donut holes in their coffee drink?! Clever wordplay and name associations are rarely enough for a successful partnership.

It would be like Rihanna partnering with the Navy for recruiting because her fanbase is called “The Navy” and she was in the Battleship movie. There’s not enough “there” there.

I hope you listen to the full episode! We also discussed:

• the backstory on McDonald’s “I’m Lovin’ It” jingle
• how celebrity fas food meals save on R&D costs
• why do artists lead these campaigns over non-musicians

Listen to the Trapital Podcast here:

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money moves

• Adidas’ journey through music and culture​
• Duetti’s Music Economics Report 2023 - download here​
• Taylor Swift’s $1+ billion tour​
• good breakdown on McDonald’s turnaround​

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coming soon from Trapital

Can today’s new superstars ever catch yesterday’s superstars? Last episode of the year. Drops next Friday!

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