McDonald’s USA has joined in the non-fungible token (NFT) trend. The brand will celebrate the return of its McRib with the launch of limited edition NFTs featuring the sandwich, which will be awarded to ten consumers participating in the promotional campaign.
In order to participate in the draw, people simply have to follow McDonald’s account on Twitter and retweet the invitation post between November 1 and November 7. There are very few barriers to participating in the draw as there are no upfront costs, no background knowledge in NFTs needed, and no long-term commitment is required. This uncomplicated promotional structure should increase the number of participants.
While the McRib is certainly a popular product among McDonald’s regulars, celebrating its return with a complete digital rewards campaign hasn’t been done before. Similar to Starbucks pumpkin spice latte, this is an item that people look forward to.
The brand might be using the campaign to test out how the campaign affects its social media following and overall digital engagement, and if the results are promising, it might look into expanding the uses of NFTs in marketing strategies.
This is all speculation. However, considering how other brands have used NFTs, McDonald’s might look to go beyond a ten-NFT draw if the launch is successful. For example, DKNY used NFTs to promote the launch of a new logo and Lay’s implemented NFTs in its “Smiles” campaign. Clinique used an NFT strategy to get consumers to sign up for its rewards mailing list and promote its contest on multiple social media. Even Mastercard used a single NFT award in partnership with football coach Mourinho.
On the other hand, the brand might also just be looking to keep up with trends. Many mainstream names have already launched some sort of collection, but it is still news.
McDonald’s Chinese division also recently launched an NFT to celebrate its 31st anniversary and new headquarters. Mattel launched a digital Hot Wheels collection, and Jimmy Choo launched a mystery box collection.
