McDonald’s debuts Chicken Big Mac with dupe restaurant, livestream push

UPDATE: Oct. 15: McDonald's has revealed two spots created by IW Group starring “Fresh Off The Boat” castmates Randall Park and Hudson Yang. “Jinx” features the pair in sync as they describe the two types of Big Mac, while the 30-second “Checklist” sees Park quiz Yang on his dedication to the new offering.

Dive Brief:

McDonald’s is promoting the Oct. 10 debut of the Chicken Big Mac with a campaign that spans a new commercial, experiential activations, livestreaming partnerships and more, per details shared with Marketing Dive.
The chain this weekend launched the sandwich at “McDonnell’s,” a pop-up experience hosted by Chain that was presented as a dupe of the iconic brand. McDonald’s has also partnered with livestreamer Kai Cenat to debate whether the limited-time offering is actually a Big Mac.
The effort additionally includes a forthcoming commercial, a takeover of the Las Vegas Sphere, a mini-game on Zynga and an event during Billboard Latin Music Week, underscoring the many channels marketers need to use to connect with young consumers.

Dive Insight:

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 spin on the brand’s most iconic menu item and will be available at participating restaurants nationwide starting next week. The campaign around the Chicken Big Mac demonstrates how McDonald’s continues to pay homage to its heritage while introducing its food to new generations of consumers.

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

The Golden Arches owner, in partnership with agency Golin, tapped into dupe culture with McDonnell’s, a lookalike dining experience that served up Chicken Big Macs in Los Angeles this past weekend. McDonnell’s was hosted by Chain, a restaurant concept that reimagines classic chain eateries. Marketers like hair care brand Olaplex have tapped into dupe culture, the Gen Z-favored tactic of finding affordable replacements for premium, luxury items.

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

Along with the Cenat partnership, Wieden + Kennedy is behind several custom ad placements, including a retro mini-game on Zynga where players can build a Chicken Big Mac and a video series from gaming brand XSET that will remix video game soundtracks and ASMR sounds. On Oct. 10, McDonald’s will also take over the Sphere in Las Vegas, transforming the massive outdoor advertising destination into a Big Mac and a Chicken Big Mac.

The debate will continue in a forthcoming commercial from IW Group featuring “Fresh Off the Boat” castmates Randall Park and Hudson Yang. Additionally, the brand will show up for a “Big Mac Bash” at Billboard Latin Music Week with Mexican musical group Eslabon Armado as part of an effort headed by Boden.

The multichannel, multicultural marketing push for the Chicken Big Mac resembles the kitchen-sink approach McDonald's used last year for a campaign focused on Grimace’s birthday. That nostalgia-fueled mascot effort 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 “another proof point of the power of marketing at McDonald’s today.”

McDonald’s posted a 0.7% drop in U.S. comparable sales for Q2 2024, the first decline of the metric since 2020. To bolster traffic and transactions, the chain has focused more on marketing its value offerings.