Just because you're older doesn't mean you have grown up.
McDonald's proved that last year when it introduced Happy Meal toys created by Cactus Plant Flea Market. In enlisting the trendy brand to fashion creative takes on some of its iconic characters, the chain was not going after kids. Instead, it knew that teens and older folks who followed the hip clothing brand would snap up Happy Meals to get their hands on the limited-edition toys.
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That promotion worked spectacularly. People wanted to get their hands on all the Cactus Plant Flea Market toys, either so they could collect them or sell them on eBay (EBAY). Whether people actually ate the food in the Happy Meal box was irrelevant.
McDonald's (MCD) made its brand a viral news story and increased its customer count. People had to have the new toys even if they weren't really sure why and while many likely sit in collector's cases, a greater amount have probably been forgotten.
It was a very effective promotion that McDonald's is repeating now, after a fashion. Instead of partnering with a trendy brand, the chain is working with another icon to offer Happy Meals that pull on the nostalgic heartstrings of some of the same customers that clamored for Happy Meals in the '80s and '90s.
Image source: Walt Disney/TheStreet
McDonald's Teams With Disney
McDonald's and Walt Disney (DIS) have worked together many times before. The two iconic brands teamed up for Happy Meals celebrating Disney World's 50th anniversary, and now the two companies are taking a page from the classic Happy Meal playbook.
In the '80s and '90s, the biggest family movies often had a McDonald's tie-in promotion. In most cases, that would involve Happy Meals toys. These promotions drove people to McDonald's and built awareness for the movie.
Now, awareness of a film's impending release might be even more important because it takes a lot to get people to go to theaters when they know the movie will be on a streaming service in a few months. That's a major dilemma Disney faces because it can't pretend it's not going to eventually bring all of its theatrical releases to the Disney+ streaming service.
To get an audience to theaters, Disney needs to make it seem like its latest movie is an event. That's certainly what it's trying to do with the upcoming release of a live-action version of its classic animated film "The Little Mermaid."
McDonald's Adds 'Little Mermaid' Happy Meal Toys
Disney's original "The Little Mermaid" came out in 1989. That means that many of today's kids may only know the film if their parents made them watch it (which they probably did).
"The Little Mermaid" was part of the late-'80s, early '90s revival of Disney's animation business. It was a major hit that helped usher in the modern era of animated movies. The remake follows a Disney pattern of offering live-action versions of some of its best-known animated hits.
McDonald's and the Mouse House are celebrating the release together by offering an inspirational take on the Happy Meal (along with collectible toys).
"To help launch 'The Little Mermaid' Happy Meal and inspire the future wavemaker in everyone, McDonald’s launched a national television commercial with Rhonda “Coach Rho” Harper, founder, and executive producer on behalf of Black Girls Surf to highlight the multi-award-winning competitive performance training camp and non-profit organization," McDonald's shared in a press release.
The ad highlights "the importance of kids like Ariel who make waves and create the change they want to see in the world.," the company added.
In addition to the commercial, McDonald's will be offering a limited-edition collection of toys based on popular characters from the movie inside its Happy Meal boxes. The Happy Meal box itself will also be themed to the film.
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