Dr. Seuss’ character, The Grinch, notoriously hates Christmas, but he’s making the rounds during this year’s holiday ad season. The creature’s latest brand appearance is for McDonald’s, which is letting him wreak havoc at its U.S. restaurants.
On Dec. 2, McDonald’s will introduce The Grinch Meal in partnership with Dr. Seuss Enterprises. The meal includes Dill Pickle “Grinch Salt” McShaker Fries, a choice of a Big Mac or Chicken McNuggets, a drink, and a pair of collectible festive socks with a message from the Grinch.
Starting today (Nov. 20), The Grinch is taking over McDonald’s social channels and a billboard in Times Square, New York City, to tease the meal.
A TV commercial starring the green menace will debut on Dec. 2, revealing the full story of how he enacted his diabolical holiday masterplan at McDonald’s.
The campaign, created by Wieden+Kennedy New York, will also extend to a line of McCafé Holiday Cups featuring designs of the Grinch, his companion Max, and Cindy Lou Who.
To reach gamers, McDonald’s has enlisted Twitch creators like Sydeon, TinaKitten, HappyHappyGal, and CyYu to live-stream unboxings of The Grinch Meal and other challenges.
Activity will run across paid placements on Hulu and Roku’s holiday hubs, Spotify holiday playlists, prime-time NFL and NBA games, Pinterest interactive quiz ads, TikTok Superlike ads, and top-of-wallet placements on Venmo, PayPal, and Sticky Pixel during peak shopping season.
McDonald’s previously rolled out The Grinch Meal in Canada last year.
“The Grinch Meal was a huge success in Canada, so bringing this fan favorite to the U.S. was a no-brainer,” Alyssa Buetikofer, chief marketing and customer experience officer of McDonald’s USA, said in a statement. “The Grinch gets it–the holidays are chaotic, and he’s thrilled to give our fandom permission to embrace their inner Grinch with his festive, mischievous meal and spirited socks.”
