(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A promotion by McDonald’s is taking on a life of its own on the social media platform TikTok.
McDonald’s recently launched a nostalgia-infused “Grimace Birthday Meal” focusing on the fast-food giant’s fluffy purple mascot. The centerpiece of the branded product is a berry-flavored purple shake that can be ordered separately.
Enter the young people who use TikTok. They are creating short narratives in the vein of “The Ring” or “Candyman” movies – those flicks where kids taunt otherworldly forces and pay a horrible price.
In the TikTok videos, someone buys a Grimace shake and wishes the character a happy birthday. In the next scene, the TikTok-er has met a horrible fate, presumably at the hands of jolly old Grimace. Usually, these "victims" are regurgitating the shake; in one case, a person’s head explodes, courtesy of a tame CGI effect.
McDonald’s is not exactly endorsing the trend, although acknowledging it on social media. Yet the company is reaping benefits, says R.J. Hottovy, the head of analytical research at foot traffic analysis firm Placer.AI in Chicago.
“It’s the latest in what has been several wins for McDonald’s on the social media front,” Hottovy tells the Noon Business Hour.
He said business is up at McDonald’s, indicating the Grimace promotion is a winner and could lead to future nostalgia plays.
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