- McDonald’s has teamed with anime series “Jujutsu Kaisen” for the launch of its latest Special Grade Garlic Sauce, per a press release.
- The Special Grade Garlic Sauce, a McDonald’s app exclusive inspired by the Black Garlic Sauce from McDonald’s Japan, will feature eight collectible lid designs that showcase fan-favorite characters from the anime series. The sauce will likely be available starting July 9.
- Each purchase of the sauce also unlocks a 30-day free trial of the streaming service Crunchyroll, where consumers can view full episodes of “Jujutsu Kaisen.” The burger chain’s latest move continues a protracted stretch of selling that has been inspired by pop-culture trends.
McDonald’s is again focusing its marketing around anime through its tie-up with “Jujutsu Kaisen,” an anime series based on the best-selling manga of the identical title written and illustrated by Gege Akutami. The move sees the burger chain continuing to look to popular culture to tell its marketing and will help it form a stronger connection with key consumers.
The latest Special Grade Garlic Sauce will likely be offered exclusively through the McDonald’s app, potentially helping the chain to determine stronger loyalty and collect priceless first-party data. Consumers can rating the sauce for free with any order of Chicken McNuggets or it could actually be paired with other orders on the app. Each sauce purchase also features a 30-day free trial to anime streaming service Crunchyroll, a move that might drive additional hype for the brand new offering.
The latest garlic sauce will feature eight unique lid designs nodding to popular characters from “Jujutsu Kaisen” that include: Yuji Itadori, Megumi Fushiguro, Nobara Kugisaki, Satoru Gojo, Kento Nanami, Suguru Geto, Mahito and Sukuna. The latest sauce is described as containing notes of garlic and soy sauce balanced with a slight tangy sweetness.
The latest anime play from McDonald’s follows the same effort from February that saw the chain pay tribute to the way it is usually depicted in anime as “WcDonald’s” with a campaign that included a latest sauce, packaging, episodic content and more. More broadly, the chain has also sought to tap into popular culture and nostalgia through efforts which have included a mess around the birthday of name mascot Grimace and a tie-up with streetwear influencer Kerwin Frost for a customized Happy Meal box.
Culturally relevant marketing is amongst the explanations attributed by McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski to the continuing success of the chain, which has seen 13 straight quarters of positive comparable sales growth. Still, McDonald’s global comparable sales grew just 1.9% in Q1 2024 with revenues of $6.17 billion because it faced boycotts within the Middle East and a pullback from “more discriminating” customers. The chain recently announced that it can introduce a Digital Marketing Fund at first of next 12 months meant to speed up digital investments and expand its competitive advantage.
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