McDonald's Takes to Twitch to Ask an Important Big Mac Question

For the first time in US history, McDonald’s took their iconic Big Mac and did something completely unexpected… they turned it into a Chicken Big Mac. To spark some debate around the new menu item, McDonald’s asked customers a highly consequential question… Is a Big Mac with Chicken still a Big Mac?

To answer this, McDonald’s headed to where debate lives and thrives - Twitch. They blurred the lines between the stage and the stands, handing creative control to the most influential content creator in the world, Kai Cenat, letting him lead the content and invite special friends to join in on a live discourse. (Yes, 'live'… as in totally unscripted. Christmas came early when McDonald’s signed off on that!) 

Kai hosted multiple livestreams with guests John Cena, Miranda Cosgrove (as her beloved character iCarly), Fanum, and Serena Williams. Kai and his celebrity guests sampled the new sandwich, shared their reactions, and led the debate to empower fans to give their hot takes on our most iconic sandwich. 

In the past, McDonald’s has collaborated with musicians, fashion designers, and athletes but this time around, McDonald’s took on the challenge of partnering in an unscripted way with a live audience, and zero delay. Delving into the world of unscripted live streams was a brand first for McDonald's - an open-ended experience that led to authentic customer conversations and interactions. Across four platforms, the collaboration generated over 80M social impressions, 9B earned media impressions, and 5M total fan engagements - some of the strongest engagement metrics in the brand’s history. The campaign just closed, so it’s too early to deliver official sales data. However, in the 14 days after launch, sales numbers increased day after day, leading them out of a slump felt across QSRs this year. 

By aligning with Kai Cenat, a leading figure in the rapidly growing world of streaming entertainment, this campaign tapped into an emerging medium, positioning McDonald’s in a brave, innovative space. And, in a world where people hit “skip” on 6-second ads, McDonald’s and Kai Cenat got fans to tune in for 45-minute livestreams by giving them the content they seek out on their own.