McMahon walkie-talkies are a blast. Why do McDonald’s toys always appeal to consumers?

This article deeply analyzes how McDonald's successfully attracted consumers through the innovative toy McMc Walkie-Talkie, and explores brand marketing strategies and consumer psychology. I hope that reading this article will be inspired by your market insights and brand promotion.

The day before yesterday at noon, this Maimen follower was about to open the APP to order a lunch, but the ordering page did not appear. He went to Weibo and saw #McDonald's Walkie-Talkie#.

McDonald’s official Weibo responded: Due to the popularity of the #McDonald’s Walkie-Talkie# event, some ordering functions were affected. They have now been restored and you can go to place your orders. Thank you for your understanding.

What exactly is this walkie-talkie that has adults and children all over the Internet scrambling for it?

For only 38 yuan, you can own a cute little intercom that can communicate within 300 meters. Of course, people within 300 meters share the same channel. Some netizens have actually experienced that clear intercom can be basically achieved within 200 meters. If there are strangers nearby who are also using the same intercom, there is a possibility of crosstalk.

Who wouldn't be tempted by this? Imagine the grand scene in the office, belike "French fries, French fries, I am chicken nuggets", "Chicken nuggets received!". Currently, this toy has been sold for hundreds of yuan in the seafood market (Xianyu). At the same time, McDonald's has also launched this toy on Tmall Little Black Box.

I know that every time Mai Mai comes up with some tricks, it will become popular, but it is rare to be so popular. I remember that the last time the whole network was popular was the "Ba Da Ba Ba Ba~Hello, drive-thru! What would you like to eat?" working boy toy in July last year.

1. What did McDonald's do to make it so easy to become popular?

So why was the response so great that it even caused the APP to crash? Morketing believes there are three reasons.

First, small node marketing is becoming more and more popular

In recent years, people have become tired of celebrating the Spring Festival and Christmas. In addition, during these major time periods, consumers have a relatively high threshold, so it is not surprising for businesses to use various marketing methods.

Compared with the strict preparations for CNY, small festivals are much easier, and as long as you play a little trick, you may be very colorful. Because people are more willing to find some excitement and ritual in their ordinary lives through some small festivals. For example, last year's Halloween (also known as the "Ghost Festival"), no one expected it to be so popular. At that time, many brands followed suit and released cosplay, including McDonald's.

The essence of the Chinese New Year is catharsis, and the same is true for Children's Day, which is a new version of an old festival. For tired adults, Children's Day is one of the few reasons to "become stupid" and "become childish", and brands should give consumers this opportunity. Therefore, on Children's Day now, the target audience of many brands is no longer children, but adults who want to be children again. Although it is not directly stated on the official website, various childlike elements and some press releases all show that McDonald's has prepared this marketing activity for Children's Day.

KFC and Pizza Hut also follow a similar path. This year, KFC once again collaborated with Pokémon on Children's Day to launch a super-sized Pokémon limited edition toy. Pizza Hut and Sanrio jointly launched a full series of 5 limited edition toys. The Children's Day limited set meal is priced at 159 yuan and is quickly out of stock. Whether it is the 1996 Pokémon or the 1960 Sanrio, most of the audience behind them are adults.

Secondly, it is good-looking and fun, and a killer tool for social media communication

If a product wants to quickly spread on social media, it must have attributes such as eye-catching and topical. The exaggerated design of the walkie-talkie in the shape of French fries and chicken nuggets is already very eye-catching. Add a strap and hang it around the neck, and it instantly becomes a fashion item.

In addition, in today's era of ubiquitous digital communication tools, the retro feel of walkie-talkies can bring consumers a unique experience, and the toy itself is more attractive to consumers. This creates a sense of contrast and a topic of conversation.

Consumers spontaneously shared their experiences on Weibo, WeChat, TikTok and other platforms, which quickly became a viral phenomenon. McDonald's official Weibo response also further promoted the popularity of the topic. The interactivity and immediacy of social media enabled McDonald's activities to quickly cover a large number of target users.

Finally, hunger marketing still works

McDonald's intercom campaign adopted a limited-edition sales strategy, further stimulating consumers' desire to buy. The core of hunger marketing is to create a sense of scarcity and increase the attractiveness and value of products through limited supply. When consumers face limited-edition products, they often feel a sense of urgency, prompting them to place orders quickly.

The effectiveness of hunger marketing was verified in this event. McDonald's successfully created a sense of scarcity by selling walkie-talkies in limited quantities, attracting a large number of consumers' attention and purchases. Even the crash of the APP did not stop consumers' enthusiasm. This strategy not only increased product sales, but also enhanced the brand's influence.

2. Can the “Maimai Walkie-Talkie” be copied?

From an operational perspective, the above can explain why consumers are so fond of McDonald's toys. But in fact, not all brands can succeed by just learning the above tricks, so in the final analysis, it still comes down to two core factors, one is McDonald's strong enough brand power, and the other is that McDonald's always stays young.

When a brand has followers, no matter what it does, people will follow it. This is brand power.

Someone once commented on McDonald's: When you arrive in a strange place, you may not know where the bathroom is or how to get to the station, but at least you won't go hungry because you know the big yellow "M". The magic of the McDonald's brand is that no matter where you are in the world, as long as you walk into a McDonald's, you will feel absolutely familiar.

McDonald's is not just a brand but a cultural symbol. George Ritzer used McDonald's fast food restaurant as a paradigm to analyze the rationalization process of modern society and wrote a sociological work, The McDonaldization of Society. This work has been adopted as a textbook or reference book by more than 200 universities in the United States.

It is difficult to find another brand in the world with the same appeal as McDonald's, because you can even say that McDonald's is no longer about buying food, but about missionaries preaching and disciples communicating their faith.

What’s even more amazing about McDonald’s is that it always remains young.

For fast food, if you lose young people, the brand will collapse quickly. How does McDonald's capture young people? The answer is to start with culture and cleanse their minds. W+K once commented: "McDonald's now is more of a pop culture manufacturing machine than a hamburger fast food brand."

Whether it's inviting Travis Scott, J. Balvin, BTS... celebrity endorsements, launching small toys that young people like, seizing the pet economy to launch cat beds, or making memes on the official Weibo, such as "McDonald's National Anthem" and "Chicken McNuggets", McDonald's is not only following trends, but also creating trends.

So, can the “Maimai Walkie-Talkie” be copied?

Author: Tiana; Source public account: Morketing (ID: 1083455)