How Celebrities Became the Secret to McDonald’s Success

In 2020, McDonald’s did something unexpected. They released a collaboration meal with Travis Scott, a massively popular rapper and producer. Since then, the fast-food chain has been plastering celebrity faces onto promotional meals at an alarming rate. In the course of twelve months, four artists have collaborated with the fast-food giant.

The Travis Scott partnership marks the first celebrity-inspired meal since 1992, when the McJordan was released. This was during the height of Michael Jordan’s career, and the promotional meal was mostly served in the Chicago area. The McJordan is nearly identical to the Travis Scott meal, but it seems Travis ignited a craze Michael retired. Now, McDonald’s shows no sign of stopping its partnerships.

If McDonald’s keeps working with artists, it has to be making money. This is a strong indicator of a marketing shift, and it highlights practices more companies are using. By connecting with major names in the music industry, McDonald’s is getting attention. Customers are gaining awareness, and they’re learning about more than Big Macs.

The McDonald’s Collaborations (So Far)

Putting a celebrity face on products is nothing new. McDonald’s did it with Michael Jordan, who has become a king of product endorsements. Three decades later, fast food restaurants are still using stars to get customers interested. Charli D’Amelio has made her Dunkin’ order a menu item, as has Miley Cyrus with…