The delicate dance of Grimace - When the Internet takes over brand
When teenagers take over a corporation
Imagine waking up to this view every morning…
Is anyone having a better summer than Grimace, the large, purple McDonald’s - thing? The only other thing having a better summer is Kylie Minogue’s Padam Padam, but I digress…
In early June, McDonald’s announced that they would introduce a shake in honor of the big purple guy’s 52nd birthday. They also announced a rollout of Grimace merch and even a video game. He also took over the McDonald’s Twitter, TikTok and Instagram, incorporating a Gritty-esque style of irreverent commentary.
And if you’ve spent any amount of time on Twitter, you probably already know that Grimace has been dubbed a queer icon. So here we have the following formula: Pride Month + Grimace’s birthday = seemingly a match made in heaven.
Before we dive too deep, why don’t we take a look at some Grimace facts, courtesy of McDonald’s Wiki:
He was first introduced as Evil Grimace, a thief who stole milkshakes.
He hails from Grimace Island.
He also has an Irish uncle, named O'Grimacey, who is a green version of a Grimace associated with the Shamrock Shake.
So as you can see, Grimace has deep lore.
But today we’re not asking the age old question “What is Grimace?”. No - instead we’re asking when and should a brand hop onto an online trend that they didn’t create, but involves them.
Me and the girls
As we mentioned before, McDonald’s debuted a purple shake in honor of Grimace’s birthday. It was innocent enough - a berry-flavored beverage, paying homage to a symbol of Americana, a fast-food mascot.
But soon, the youths took over, and thus began the Grimace shake trend on TikTok.
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The videos begin with someone saying something along the lines of, “Hey guys, I’m here trying out the new Grimace milkshake,” followed by a hard cut of them on the ground with the milkshake smashed next to them. Other videos are like a horror movie, as if drinking the milkshake will lead to your demise.
And I have to say, after scrolling countless Grimace shake videos, some of them are really, really good.
Ok so first of all, I live for this. I live for teens taking something from a brand and running amok with it (disclaimer: I live for this FOR THE MOST PART). So for this short period of time, social media owns Grimace, thereby also owning - McDonald’s? It is amusing to see teenagers essentially hold control over a massive corporation’s next move, isn’t it?
You just have to picture it - meeting after meeting and millions of dollars poured into this campaign, only for the shakes to be incorporated into a version of Sinister.
McDonald’s current Twitter page
So, when the Internet takes over like this, where does a brand go? How far should they take it?
It certainly depends on the tone and response of an online challenge or trend, but brands shouldn’t run away from them. Brands should consider participating in TikTok trends when it aligns with their target audience, brand image, and overall marketing. And like, also to be cool, right?
In my humble opinion, and in this case, McDonald’s should hop onto it. And do so ASAP. Have an employee don the suit and smash that shake to the ground! McDonald’s did just acknowledge the trend on Twitter and posted this TikTok, but they can still take it a step further.
There is a very fine line of time between when a trend like this begins, and when a big corporation decides to hop on it. If a brand chooses to take part too late, it simply won’t work as well, and in fact could backfire. Obviously there’s a great deal of consideration when posting for a massive brand, but timing is truly everything. It’s also important to note that when a brand takes part in an online trend, it typically always effectively ends the lifespan of a meme.
A delicate dance, indeed.
Let’s think long term now. Memes come and go, and they come and go quickly. Will Grimace still be our beloved plum-colored being a year from now, or will the public simply be over him? Only time will tell.
So what are our takeaways here:
Teenagers have and will take over.
Listen to and trust your social team.
You can’t predict or exactly plan for an online response, but you can pivot.
And finally, shout out to all of the social media managers out there making the magic happen. And to the McDonald’s workers making those shakes, we appreciate you 🥲.
Who would have thought we’d have this purple menace to thank for this social media lesson? Now to get me one of them shakes…