Nostalgia - The Best Marketing Tactic

Remember as kids when we would beg our parents to stop at Mcdonalds on the way home? Those rare couple of times my mom gave in, I was the happiest little girl dancing around in the back seat of the car. I would be watching a movie on my old flip-up Sony CD player, dipping my apples in the inordinately delicious caramel, and playing with my Happy Meal toy. Life was stress-free and so simple back then, it’s such a warm and happy memory.


I read an article on CNBC's website saying earlier this month Mcdonald's released a limited-time promotion for Happy Meals. Only this isn’t your normal kids meal, it’s targeted towards ADULTS! It still comes in a box with the golden arch handles and a toy, but it's bigger and includes either a Big Mac or Chicken Nugget Meal. This promotion is a collaboration with Cactus Plant Flea Market, an artist-owned designer apparel brand. Mcdonald's is trying to target the younger/middle generations in hopes that the nostalgic aspect of it will entice them. Although a great idea, people are having mixed feelings about the whole promo.


First off, the Adult Happy Meal itself costs a total of $10.49 here in Corvallis. The total of a large Big Mac Meal here in Corvallis is $8.69. That’s almost $2 that you spend for a cardboard box and plastic toy. Most people have never even heard of the brand Cactus Plant Flea Market. Customers don’t buy for the “collab”, they buy it for the nostalgic aspect. You might as well buy just a Big Mac Meal or just a normal Happy Meal for the price.


The toy included can be one of four characters: Grimace, Birdie, The Hamburglar, and Cactus Buddy. While the first three characters are original mascots for Mcdonalds, Castus Buddy is the mascot for Cactus Plant Flea Market. Customers have been flooding to social media to complain they received Cactus Buddy in their meal, which brought back the childhood emotions of not getting the toy they wanted. 


Mcdonald's stands for its friendliness, cleanliness, consistency, and convenience. Their motto “We make things easier for you” represents the original idea of what fast food is. It’s quick and efficient and has modernized to become even more so. Most Mcdonald's locations don’t have the play areas anymore, nor do they advertise any of their original mascot characters. Us adults love efficiency as our lives have gotten more busy, but our kids will never get to experience it.


This new Cactus Plant Flea Market promotion with Mcdonald's has been a hit and a disappointment. But the disappointment doesn’t matter, they are still selling out at every location. The idea of an Adult Happy Meal is so nostalgic, of course everyone wants to get their hands on one. Adults all over want to feel the excitement from grabbing those golden arch handles and unwrapping the mystery toy again, even if it’s $2 more than a normal meal.


I understand the marketing strategy. Appeal to the certain generations, bring back memories, make it feel nostalgic. I think it’s brilliant. One thing I would maybe change if I were a part of the Mcdonald's marketing team is to have some more options for the Adult Happy Meal menu. Instead of just a Big Mac or Chicken Nuggets, offer a Quarter Pounder or Chicken Sandwich Meal as well. This way people can choose what they prefer and they’d end up selling more. The Adult Happy Meal has been going viral on social media. That’s free advertising from people that wanted to share their nostalgic feelings or disappointments with the internet. It’s a great marketing tactic because Mcdonald's was such a big part of our childhoods. I have learned that feeding into your audience's emotions is the #1 best way to gain their interests. Your heart tells your brain what to do. Our childhood Mcdonald's is gone forever so only our memories live on.


Marketing in News Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/05/mcdonalds-adult-happy-meal-review.html

Extra Article: https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2022/10/05/we-got-mcdonalds-new-adult-happy-meal-heres-what-it-was-like/

Mcdonald's: https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us.html

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