Since most of last night’s conversation centered around social media ROI and the important metrics to measure, I stumbled upon this article and thought it tied in nicely to the topics discussed. In an attempt to get Mac & Cheese added to the Big Mac, Kraft created a social campaign to engage both Kraft and McDonalds customers alike, to make the push. At WheresTheMac.com, you’ll be able to use Kraft’s pre-populated tweets to send a “Where’s the Mac” tweet to McDonald’s, draft a personalized tweet, and fill out McDonald’s corporate feedback form to ask that the company add Kraft Mac & Cheese to the Big Mac. “For years, we’ve seen our fans add Kraft Mac & Cheese to their burgers from the comfort of their homes,” said Christina Brown, Associate Brand Manager at Kraft Heinz. “But why can’t we make it easier for comfort-craving enthusiasts? We believe that the time for change is now, and we are hopeful that America’s most iconic burger, the Big Mac, will start to add the most important mac of all.” After tweeting, to further incentivize participants, those who make the plea will also receive a free box of mac and cheese to make their own proper Big Mac and Cheese at home.
I thought this was genius. Instead of taking a cookie cutter approach of entering into a partnership agreement with McDonald’s, they placed it in the hands of the consumer. This was more than a simple awareness play. Last night we spoke about social listening, not only engaging an audience but also having them advocate on behalf of the company, and I believe Kraft did just that.
What are your thoughts? What do you think success will look like for Kraft, beyond having McDonalds agree to the addition, in terms of achieving their business objectives through this social campaign?
Full article: Kraft Mac & Cheese Petitions to be Added to Popular McDonald’s Menu Item (yahoo.com)
Hi Regina,
Having Mac and cheese on the Big Mac would be amazing lol. I love both so much and I think its pretty cool that they placed it in the hands of the consumer because if lots of people want it then it will be a success. Hopefully they have an update on this soon, been trying to look for some updates but it’s recent. Great post!
Couldn’t agree more! The Glossier case study dove into this a bit as well: “It used to be that brands were the sole owners of opinion; that’s no longer the case. Influence has been completely decentralized and now is in the hands of individual consumers. You don’t have to listen to a brand, you can listen to literally hundreds of people. Social media is the gateway to this transformation”.
Hey Regina,
I loved reading your post. I love a good big mac but I do not think I would like it with mac and cheese on it. I am not really a big mac and cheese girl to begin with, but I know a ton of people who would buy this. I think this is great exposure for not only Kraft but for McDonalds as well. Sometimes I feel like people forget about the items on the menu that have there since the beginning. It will be very interesting to see if people would actually buy this and if it would even be a good combination to have.
Hey Regina, Awesome post.
In the age where fast food restaurants are trying new exotic items ( like KFC donut burger), Mac and cheese on a Big Mac is not the craziest idea. I would definitely try it because I love burgers and Mac and cheese. Success for Kraft would probably be consumers posting a picture of adding their own kraft Mac and cheese to a Big Mac with a hashtag, mentioning Kraft on their timeline.
Thanks, Regina! This is news to me. I totally agree with the points above that this is a great way to make your customers feel like they are being heard while drumming up a lot of attention online for both brands.
I must say that I am skeptical there isn’t already an agreement in place between Kraft Mac & Cheese and McDonald’s. Maybe I am a cynic and have lost all faith in huge corporations, or maybe this program is making me think like a marketer, but this doesn’t seem very authentic. I’d be willing to bet there is already an underlying partnership agreement between the two, and this is just phase 1. They SEEM to be putting power in the customers’ hands, but I’m sure this is just a publicity stunt knowing they will launch this no matter what. Genius, nonetheless!
Nice article
thanks for this post ! im use it in my articles . thanks
Hi Regina, excellent post.
I consider myself a Mac N Cheese composure, so this post is right up my alley. I think this is not only a genius marketing strategy of using the hashtag but also a great way to build nostalgia which can encourage new customers to visit Mcdonald’s.
So many of us can remember going to Mcdonald’s as kids, asking our parents to stop, or just admiring those gold arches that make up the M. All of this promotes a nostalgia that none of us can deny. In addition to this, Kraft Mac N Cheese creates similar feelings to this. So many of us remember coming home from school and having mac n cheese or buying the Blues Clues blue mac n cheese and thinking it was the coolest. Both of these memories drive people to remember times with little to no stress and fewer choices to be made. Combining these two worlds will encourage these nostalgic memories, and merge two worlds many customers will not be able to resist.
In addition, I think using a simple but straightforward hashtag like the one Kraft created is an excellent idea to get people talking. People will use the tag to discuss the taste, look, and senses that go along with the meal, and they will also upload photos which will likely encourage at least a few hungry viewers who see to stop by and pick up a mac burger.
PS – I would for sure try this.
I’m with Andrea on this one… Might the activation be a publicity stunt between the two brands? Would be interesting to see who their respective agencies of record are!
This is the first I’m hearing about this, but I can tell you, I would definitely eat a Big Mac n Cheese, that sounds amazing. Reading your article the whole time I was thinking “wow what a good idea by Kraft to get McDonald’s to work with them on a Big Mac” but when I started reading the comments I realized I didn’t even think about McDonald’s and Kraft would be working together to create hype around this burger. I definitely think it’s a possibility, that the two are working together. As Andrea said, they definitely aimed to make the customers think they are holding power, while they are secretly planning something big to put out to the world!
Hey Regina!
This is pretty brilliant. I will admit, I haven’t heard of it, but it looks tasty! I would be willing to try it for sure. I love how they kept it extremely simple. They completely nailed the branding, placement, and play on words. I’ve had mac and cheese on pizza before, so I can imagine it would be great on a burger, if not a little messy – haha! As a child, I think I would have gone crazy over a mac-and-cheeseburger. I am skeptical about them not having an agreement in place already, but it’s a great marketing idea nonetheless!