How the restaurant used the moment to create fandom and a date night meal.
When most people think of caviar, they’re likely picturing white tablecloths, tiny spoons and a hefty price tag.
They’re probably not picturing a box of McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets.
But some McDonald’s fans did.
Through social listening, the brand saw customers topping McNuggets with caviar, turning the fast-food staple into an unlikely snack combo with enough cultural traction to get McDonald’s attention.
The pairing first appeared online during the U.S. Open, had early celebrity attention when singer Rihanna tried it, and showed up in search behavior.
This gave McDonald’s and its PR agency, Golin Ketchum, a place to start.
“We don’t approach campaigns asking ourselves, ‘Is this a good idea?’ We ask if it’s true,” said Liz Fernandez, director of brand communications at McDonald’s, when first learning of the trend. “Our social listening showed our fans were already topping our McNuggets with caviar, which helped sell it internally.”
@biancamfernandez8 it literally does not get better than this @McDonald’s #caviar #nye #hosting #dinnerparty ♬ so this is love – soft girl aesthetic
The idea was quirky. But they wanted to see how they could use it to engage fans further. The team came up with a free, limited-edition McNugget Caviar kit with Paramount Caviar and launched it ahead of Valentine’s Day, a prime date night to debut an elevated snack.
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Find the behavior before the brainstorm
“For every campaign, we are intentional about identifying the moments where fan truths intersect with culture,” Fernandez said. “That’s the playbook.”
The launch of the kits stemmed from search interest, cultural relevance and the Valentine’s Day calendar hook, she said. They created a total of 750 kits, to be distributed on a first-come-first-serve basis, completely free. The price tag was a choice just as much as the contents of the kit, she said.
“We also recognized that many Gen Z fans were struggling to date on a budget, so we purposely chose to activate during Valentine’s season to give them a wallet-friendly date night,” Meg Farquhar, executive vice president and executive creative director at Golin Ketchum, said.
“After all, nothing says ‘ILY’ quite like a limited drop from McDonald’s just in time for your Valentine’s Day plans. Oh, and the best part? It’s on us,” McDonald’s said in its press announcement.
Farquhar said Google Trends data showed “chicken caviar” searches peaked in February. There was also an ongoing fan debate about whether McDonald’s could count as a date spot.
“The trend emerged at one of the biggest events in the world and then it got a celebrity stamp of approval,” she said. “So we knew it was an existing cultural trend we could build on.”
Give fans something to do
Once McDonald’s solidified a timely launch date and a reason for media and fans to pay attention, they were able to turn the trend into something people could try and share, Fernandez said. Fans that secured a free kit would now have something to unbox on social media.
The McNugget Caviar kit included nuggets, a one-ounce tin of Paramount Caviar, a $25 gift card and crème fraiche. The campaign ran with no paid media. Instead, McDonald’s and Golin focused on earned attention.
“We bet on the true power of PR with this one, working in lockstep with Golin to seed the news and kits out to influential voices…across traditional media and social ahead of the drop to drive excitement right out of the gate,” Fernandez said.
McDonald’s hoped outlets and influencers with mass reach would be among those who took notice through social sharing.
@mcdonaldspinkies were up the whole time i posted this. McNugget Caviar drops 2.10 at 11:00AM ET exclusively online♬ original sound – McDonald’s
“The kits were designed to be shared and create FOMO in an earned capacity,” Fernandez said.
When it went live, the kits sold out in less than two minutes. More than 6 million people visited McNuggetCaviar.com. “McNugget Caviar” became the number one trending topic on X, and Fernandez said the campaign drove a significant lift in purchase intent among consumers who were aware of it. People were even reselling the kits on eBay for more than $300.
During its launch week, the campaign received 4,400 media placements and 13.8 billion in social reach, Farquhar said.
When brands pay attention to how people are already using their products and services, they can then decide whether the brand can make that behavior easier to join, share or more fun to talk about, Fernandez said. When it works, it can pay off for longer than the moment lasts.
Prepare for what happens after the launch
McNugget Caviar moved faster than expected, Fernandez said.
“Our only regret from McNugget Caviar is that we didn’t make more kits,” Fernandez said. “We recognize there will always be constraints with a free, limited-edition drop, but the fan response truly surpassed our expectations.”
Selling out so quickly gave the team another communications lesson, she said.
“It reinforced that with something so in-demand, communicating the sellout matters just as much as how it gets launched,” Fernandez said.
Brands often spend most of their planning time on the reveal, she said. But limited drops also need a plan for what happens after demand hits. That includes clear language about availability, responses for disappointed fans and a decision about whether the brand will offer another way to participate.
Listen all the time
McDonald’s has a dedicated team with Golin focused on helping the brand show up in culture. Fernandez said the team is constantly looking for moments the brand can elevate.
Other brands can borrow this tactic, she said, even without McDonald’s scale. Watch how customers are using your product when the brand is not directing them. Look for repeated behaviors gaining momentum. Track search patterns, social conversation and cultural timing. Then decide whether the brand can make the behavior easier, funnier, more useful or more visible.
“The team is constantly mining for interesting fan behaviors and finding a role for the brand that feels additive, not forced,” she said. “That’s the first step — listen to your fans, and good ideas will follow.”
Courtney Blackann is a communications reporter. Connect with her on LinkedIn or email her at courtneyb@ragan.com.
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