McDonald's Celebrates Grimace's Birthday in Nostalgic Ad
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McDonald's is celebrating the birthday of its furry purple mascot Grimace with an epic party. The nostalgia-fueled campaign by agency Wieden+Kennedy New York features limited-edition products, a TV commercial, an 8-bit video game and a fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House Charities.
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The effort kicks off June 12 with an ad showing Grimace ringing in his birthday at McDonald's restaurants over the years, starting with a young version of the character being wished a happy birthday by a box of chicken nuggets. The flashbacks continue with a version of him with braces and a mullet, receiving gifts from fellow mascots Birdie and the Hamburglar, and a teenaged Grimace picking up a drive-through meal after earning his driver's license.
The commercial then welcomes everyone to celebrate this June with a limited-edition purple milkshake, which will be part of a Grimace birthday meal alongside fries and either a Big Mac or 10-piece Chicken McNuggets.
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Adding to the retro vibe, McDonald's is also launching a free '90s-inspired 8-bit Grimace's Birthday video game on mobile and desktop through a collaboration with Krool Toys. Players will take on the role of the furry purple mascot as he navigates obstacles and searches for his friends while on a quest to cut his birthday cake.
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McDonald's is selling Grimace-inspired merchandise, including T-shirts and socks, through GoldenArchesUnlimited.com.
McDonald's drew inspiration from people's nostalgia for childhood birthdays and McDonaldland characters, Jennifer "JJ" Healan, the company's vice president of U.S. marketing, brand, content and culture, told Adweek.
"Like all our campaigns, it's grounded in something we call a 'fan truth' - a shared experience with the brand that nearly all our fans can relate to. Each generation will view this fan truth through a different lens - whether it's a Millennial who had their favorite birthday party at a McDonald's PlayPlace or a Gen Xer who grew up alongside our McDonaldland characters," Healan explained.
Reviving Grimace is also part of McDonald's effort to "drive relevance with a new generation," according to a statement from USA chief marketing and customer experience officer Tariq Hassan, who added: "Grimace is the perfect lovable icon to have McDonald's meet our fans at the intersection of nostalgia and culture."
In that nostalgic vein, McDonald's also brought back the Hamburglar in April.
"Success for us comes down to building more meaningful, authentic connections with our fans," Healan said. "We're focused on creating long-term value versus simply driving near-term sales. This is about marketing that creates a true cultural moment for our brand."
In lieu of giving Grimace gifts, consumers can share a picture of their favorite birthday menu through McDonald's Instagram from June 13 to 14 to trigger a $5 donation to Ronald McDonald House Charities. Grimace took over the account starting Monday, and he'll be sharing his phone number so that consumers can text to get more details on the celebration.
The campaign also features Snapchat AR experiences that can be unlocked by scanning the Golden Arches and a custom playlist on Spotify.
"To make sure this campaign feels relevant for generations to come, we're tapping into some of the things we know our fans care about, like gaming and giving back to the community," Healan said. "We're also showing up on the platforms where they're engaging most ... You'll see we are evolving our campaigns with the speed of culture to build life-long relationships with fans."