{"id":321807,"date":"2021-08-11T19:05:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-11T16:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/instead-of-playing-the-celebrity-game-id-rather-see-mcdonalds-put-more-effort-into-developing-new-products\/"},"modified":"2021-08-11T19:05:00","modified_gmt":"2021-08-11T16:05:00","slug":"instead-of-playing-the-celebrity-game-id-rather-see-mcdonalds-put-more-effort-into-developing-new-products","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/instead-of-playing-the-celebrity-game-id-rather-see-mcdonalds-put-more-effort-into-developing-new-products\/","title":{"rendered":"#: Instead of playing the celebrity game, I\u2019d rather see McDonald\u2019s put more effort into developing new products"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a40f1c08b163\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a40f1c08b163\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/instead-of-playing-the-celebrity-game-id-rather-see-mcdonalds-put-more-effort-into-developing-new-products\/#McDonalds_%E2%80%98Saweetie_Meal_is_just_an_overindulgent_Happy_Meal_for_adults\" >McDonald\u2019s \u2018Saweetie Meal\u2019 is just an overindulgent Happy Meal for adults<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/instead-of-playing-the-celebrity-game-id-rather-see-mcdonalds-put-more-effort-into-developing-new-products\/#Celebrity_cynicism\" >Celebrity cynicism<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/instead-of-playing-the-celebrity-game-id-rather-see-mcdonalds-put-more-effort-into-developing-new-products\/#Charles_Passy\" >Charles Passy<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#: Instead of playing the celebrity <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a>, I\u2019d rather see McDonald\u2019s put more effort into developing new products<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"article__subhead\" itemprop=\"alternativeHeadline\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"McDonalds_%E2%80%98Saweetie_Meal_is_just_an_overindulgent_Happy_Meal_for_adults\"><\/span>\n  McDonald\u2019s \u2018Saweetie Meal\u2019 is just an overindulgent Happy Meal for adults<br \/>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"column column--full article__content\">\n<div class=\"article__side\">\n<div class=\"container--sticky not-active\">\n<div id=\"cx-next\" data-nosnippet>\n              <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"js-article__body\" class=\"article__body article-wrap at16-col16 barrons-article-wrap\" itemprop=\"articleBody\" data-sbid=\"WP-MKTW-0000369911\">\n<div class=\"barrons-article-ad-wrapper\">\n<div data-track=\"barrons-article-ad-wrap\" class=\"barrons-article-ad sticky_item\">\n<div class=\"barrons-main-article-ad-target sticky_target body_ad\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-layout=\"\n                inline\" data-layout-mobile=\"\" class=\"\n          media-object\n          type-InsetArticleReader\n              \n              inline\n  article__inset\n          article__inset--type-InsetArticleReader\n              article__inset--inline\n  \"><\/p>\n<div class=\"media-object-article-reader\">\n<div class=\"audioplayer\" data-sbid=\"WP-MKTW-0000369911\" role=\"region\" aria-label=\"Listen to Article\" tabindex=\"-1\" id=\"articlereader\" data-show-title=\"false\" data-theme=\"wsj-article-reader\" data-show-header=\"false\" data-show-subscribe=\"false\" data-ads-enabled=\"true\" data-save-publication=\"false\">\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>       Until this week, I had never heard of Saweetie. But last night, I ended up having dinner with her.<\/p>\n<p> Let me clarify: Saweetie \u2014 aka California-born rap star Diamont\u00e9 Quiava Valentin Harper \u2014 wasn\u2019t in actual attendance. Rather, I was at my local McDonald\u2019s<br \/>\n        MCD,<br \/>\n        <bg-quote field=\"percentchange\" format=\"0,000.00%\" channel=\"\/zigman2\/quotes\/203508018\/composite\" class=\"positive\">+0.72%<\/bg-quote><br \/>\n       and ordered the newly introduced <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mcdonalds.com\/us\/en-us\/saweetie.html\" class=\"icon none\">Saweetie Meal<\/a>, a combo that comes with a Big Mac, four-piece Chicken McNuggets, fries and a drink (I skipped the suggested Sprite and went with a Diet Coke just to keep things in caloric check). Oh, and don\u2019t forget the \u201cSaweetie \u2018N Sour\u201d sauce that rounds out the spread.<\/p>\n<div class=\"paywall\">\n       Such meals have become par for the course at the Golden Arches \u2014 and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>arently have proved quite successful. Last year, when McDonald\u2019s rolled out a combo tied to rapper Travis Scott, highlighted by a Quarter Pounder with cheese, it became such a sensation that the company <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/mcdonalds-facing-quarter-pounder-burger-shortages-after-travis-scott-promotion-2020-9\" class=\"icon none\">ran into supply issues<\/a> with the signature sandwich.<\/p>\n<div data-layout=\"inline\n                \" data-layout-mobile=\"\" class=\"\n          media-object\n          type-InsetPullQuote\n            inline\n    scope-web|mobileapps\n  article__inset\n          article__inset--type-InsetPullQuote\n            article__inset--inline\n  \"><\/p>\n<div class=\"wsj-article-pullquote article__inset__pullquote \">\n<p class=\"pullquote-content article__inset__pullquote__quote\">\n        <span class=\"l-qt article__inset__pullquote__mark--left\">\u201c<\/span><br \/>\n        The Saweetie Meal is a combo that comes with a Big Mac, four-piece Chicken McNuggets, fries and a drink.<br \/>\n        <span class=\"r-qt article__inset__pullquote__mark--right\">\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>       Of course, there\u2019s nothing new about consumer brands trying to sell their stuff via a celebrity connection. Chesterfield cigarettes <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ebay.com\/itm\/332487342627?_ul=IL\" class=\"icon none\">tapped New York Yankee great Joe DiMaggio<\/a> as its pitchman. Pepsi<br \/>\n        PEP,<br \/>\n        <bg-quote field=\"percentchange\" format=\"0,000.00%\" channel=\"\/zigman2\/quotes\/208744353\/composite\" class=\"positive\">+0.83%<\/bg-quote><br \/>\n       had Michael Jackson <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=po0jY4WvCIc\" class=\"icon none\">singing about the Pepsi generation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p> Fast-food chains have long been part of this playbook as well. Moreover, McDonald\u2019s created a powerful packaging model with its Happy Meal, the classic kiddie combo of food and a toy. (And sure enough, the toy element has tapped into pop culture as well, with toy tie-ins with <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">movies<\/a> and television.)<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019d suggest that the celebrity meals are basically just a Happy Meal, sans toy, for a slightly older demographic (in other words, people who are Saweetie\u2019s target audience). Indeed, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/aliciakelso\/2020\/10\/06\/mcdonalds-marketing-war-chest-is-filled-with-celebrity-meal-promotions\/?sh=105dc28923af\" class=\"icon none\">Wells Fargo has said that\u2019s the case<\/a>, noting that the Travis Scott promotion connected McDonald\u2019s \u201cwith an audience that\u2019s been a weak spot over the past 20 years,\u201d as in consumers in the early teen-to-mid 20s age bracket.<\/p>\n<p>But I\u2019d also suggest, more than a little cynically, that these meals are just a way for McDonald\u2019s to repackage its existing menu items and lure consumers into buying more fast food than they might normally order.<\/p>\n<p>Certainly, I can\u2019t think of a time I went into Mickey D\u2019s and said I\u2019ll have a Big Mac <em>and<\/em> some McNuggets \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a>ly, that\u2019s an either\/or proposition, but the Saweetie Meal delivers both (with those fries as well).<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Celebrity_cynicism\"><\/span>Celebrity cynicism<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>But my cynicism doesn\u2019t end there when it comes to this latest celebrity offering.<\/p>\n<p>Another part of the Saweetie Meal\u2019s promise is that you can \u201cremix it like Saweetie,\u201d meaning you can follow the pop star\u2019s path of putting fries in your sandwich or ditching the burgers in the Big Mac and replacing them with McNuggets. (Wouldn\u2019t that be called a Big McNugget?)<\/p>\n<div id=\"cx-membership-tile\"><\/div>\n<p>I tried that and a few other remixes last night. Memo to the McDonald\u2019s team: IT DOESN\u2019T WORK. Once you play with the architecture of a Big Mac, it becomes a Big Mess, with sauce, buns and veggies scattering to the four winds, making any kind of reassembly impossible.<\/p>\n<p>As for that \u201cSaweetie \u2018N Sour Sauce,\u201d let\u2019s just say I\u2019ve had it a million times already. Perfectly tasty and tangy, but hardly a revelation. It\u2019s basically the sweet-and-sour sauce you can find in any Chinese-American restaurant.<\/p>\n<p>I suspect McDonald\u2019s knows all this already. (And the company didn\u2019t respond for im<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a>te comment when I reached out to it.) These celebrity offerings are more marketing ploys than menu reinventions. <\/p>\n<div data-layout=\"inline\n                \" data-layout-mobile=\"\" class=\"\n          media-object\n          type-InsetPullQuote\n            inline\n    scope-web|mobileapps\n  article__inset\n          article__inset--type-InsetPullQuote\n            article__inset--inline\n  \"><\/p>\n<div class=\"wsj-article-pullquote article__inset__pullquote \">\n<p class=\"pullquote-content article__inset__pullquote__quote\">\n        <span class=\"l-qt article__inset__pullquote__mark--left\">\u201c<\/span><br \/>\n        As for that \u201cSaweetie \u2018N Sour Sauce,\u201d let\u2019s just say I\u2019ve had it a million times already. Perfectly tasty and tangy, but hardly a revelation.<br \/>\n        <span class=\"r-qt article__inset__pullquote__mark--right\">\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>       A previous meal, built around the South Korean pop group BTS, featured a 10-piece McNuggets with two new sauces, including a sweet chili one. In short, it was just another way to sell the same chicken item McDonald\u2019s has sold for decades.<\/p>\n<p> Instead of playing the celebrity game, I\u2019d rather see McDonald\u2019s <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mcdonalds.com\/us\/en-us\/whats-hot.html\" class=\"icon none\">put more effort into developing new products<\/a>. Granted, it introduced <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.restaurantbusinessonline.com\/food\/mcdonalds-will-start-selling-spicy-chicken-mcnuggets\" class=\"icon none\">a spicy version of the McNuggets<\/a> last year, but I haven\u2019t seen much else of note from the venerable fast-food chain. And for the record: I\u2019m still holding out for that great and glorious day when McDonald\u2019s will finally offer its version of onion rings, so I don\u2019t have to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.news.com.au\/lifestyle\/food\/eat\/mcdonalds-adds-onion-rings-to-aussie-menu-for-first-time\/news-story\/eda0e6e12320bdd7aad237b6ce29280d\" class=\"icon none\">travel to Australia for them<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps McDonald\u2019s doesn\u2019t need the boost: The company reported strong earnings of late, in part because of the BTS promotion. And at the risk of stating the obvious, I\u2019m clearly not the market that McDonald\u2019s is targeting with these pop-star promotions. My go-to order at the chain is a Filet-O-Fish sandwich, accompanied by a cup of coffee (yes, I have become my grandmother).<\/p>\n<p>Still, my cynicism may speak to the fact that even in an era when food and drink and celebrity culture are inextricably tied \u2014 look at Snoop Dogg and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.marthastewart.com\/1522353\/martha-snoop-dogg\" class=\"icon none\">his culinary adventures<\/a> with Martha Stewart or his new <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.totalwine.com\/wine\/rose-blush-wine\/rose-blend\/19-crimes-snoop-cali-rose\/p\/235837750\" class=\"icon none\">rose wine<\/a>, for that matter \u2014 I can\u2019t help but think maybe restaurant chains should stick to what they know best.<\/p>\n<p>And perhaps the same goes for those celebrities. Next time I want to connect with Saweetie, I\u2019ll just listen to her music. At least I now know her name.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"byline article__byline\">\n<p>    <span>By<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"author mobile-scrim hasMenu\" data-scrim='{\"type\":\"author\",\"header\":\"Charles Passy\",\"subhead\":\"The Wall Street Journal\",\"list\":[{\"type\":\"link\",\"icon\":\"bio\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.marketwatch.com\/topics\/journalists\/charles-passy\",\"text\":\"Biography\"},{\"type\":\"link\",\"icon\":\"twitter\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CharlesPassy\",\"text\":\"@CharlesPassy\"},{\"type\":\"link\",\"icon\":\"email\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.marketwatch.com\/news\/mailto:cpassy@wsj.com\",\"text\":\"cpassy@wsj.com\"}]}' itemscope itemprop=\"author\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Person\">\n<h4 itemprop=\"name\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Charles_Passy\"><\/span>Charles Passy<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.marketwatch.com\/news\/story.asp?guid=%7B20C05575-04D4-B545-75A4-F70369A22A78%7D&#038;siteid=rss&#038;rss=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#: Instead of playing the celebrity game, I\u2019d rather see McDonald\u2019s put more effort into developing new products&#8221; McDonald\u2019s \u2018Saweetie Meal\u2019 is just an overindulgent Happy Meal for adults Until this week, I had never heard of Saweetie. But last night, I ended up having dinner with her. Let me clarify: Saweetie \u2014 aka California-born&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":321808,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-321807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/321807","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=321807"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/321807\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/321808"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=321807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=321807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=321807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}