Plus: Barkbox CEO apologizes for Pride message leak; Biden-era AI institute rebranded.
I don’t know if there’s ever been a time I’ve gone through a McDonald’s drive-thru and not wished for the return of the Snack Wrap. It made me feel less guilty about eating fast food and honestly, they were pretty tasty. Apparently, I’m not alone in that thinking.
In a raw and stripped back post on X, McDonald’s announced the return of the Snack Wrap, coming July 10.
The message begins, “i don’t usually do this, and i didn’t run this by brian from legal (sorry brian). but i have something to say. not as mcdonald’s but as the person behind the mcdonald’s account.”
Already hooked.
It continues:
“yes, i could post about the Snack Wrap, tease you with tweets like “bring back ___” (knowing exactly what you’d say), and even manifest for its return. but i couldn’t bring it back. you know who could bring it back? YOU. YOU commented under every post. YOU made petitions.
“YOU asked for it back in the DRIVE THRU!? YOU tweeted every day for 100 days straight. YOU rallied. you organized. and i saw it all. thanks to you, the Snack Wrap will be back. i cheered you on from behind the screen and made it my mission to never stop fighting for you. i made 486 decks on “reasons why to bring back the Snack Wrap” (i counted). your endless comments, tweets, and posts were the fuel i needed to keep on going.”
The post went live on Thursday. As of this morning, it has 16.5 million views.
Why it matters: Right from the start, this post gets you. It has the feel of an account takeover instead of a carefully curated PR campaign. It diverts from the witty, dressed up McDonald’s announcements we know and recognize – and often love.
Suddenly, it’s not the brand consumers see. It’s a person. A human. And what a time to be human amid so much tech talk. This is smart and it connects consumers to the message. It’s simple and to the point.
McDonald’s Director of Social Media and Influencer Amanda Mulligan said it best in a LinkedIn post following the announcement: “Brands build bold, unhinged personas to entertain and stand out. That works until the moment comes when you want to speak sincerely, and you realize how hard it is to shift gears.
“We debated whether we should do it this way. Whether we should shorten it. Whether we should be this vulnerable. And we debated whether anyone would even care.”
This is a scenario that really worked. And as it turned out, millions of people cared.
Editor’s Top Picks:
- Barkbox CEO Matt Meeker apologized to consumers via Instagram after an internal message from Slack was leaked saying that it was not a great idea to market some of its Pride merchandise. The Wall Street Journal reports that the message said, “pushing this promo risks unintentionally sending the message that ‘we’re not for you’ to a large portion of our audience.” As Pride month gets underway, this has been a dilemma for large brands in the midst of a tricky political climate. Meeker addressed the message saying, “I apologize. A few days ago, an internal message from a BARK team member was released on social media. The message was disrespectful and hurtful to the LGBTQIA+ community, and as the CEO of BARK, I’m responsible for that.” He went on to say he doesn’t agree with the message and he’s “deeply sorry it happened” adding a link to the brand’s Pride merchandise. This is the best way to address PR snafus. Be honest. Be to-the-point. Be sincere. Meeker’s message comes across as sincere and he doesn’t try to backtrack or place blame on anyone else. There will still be some damage, and the brand may take a hit, but he got the message out swiftly and tried to make amends for the incident.
- There was a time when “Stanley Cup” meant hockey. And then Stanley 1913 tumblers went viral in the fashion of Rae Dunn dishware a few years back – and pshh, forget about hockey. While the brand has been around since 1913, its moment was heightened this past year by the craze for the cups. But brands have to think in longer terms to stay relevant. “We so outperformed on what the original vision was,” Kate Ridley, Stanley 1913’s chief brand officer said to the WSJ, “and what got us to that moment today is not what we need for the next 10 years.” Moving forward, Stanley is thinking about its long-term brand strategy, how it can use the viral moment to expand to new markets and how it can associate itself within cultural moments and influencers. This includes diversifying its product line into more than houseware. Stanley plans to expand its hydration market to include health and protein products as well as cafe and bar culture with products for wine, beer and cocktails. Trends are great. They don’t last. It’s important to use momentous occasions to, not pause and celebrate, but keep the momentum going.
- The Biden-era AI Safety Institute is being rebranded as The Center for AI Standards and Innovation, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said this week, according to Deadline. “The rebrand reflects a more hands-off approach that the Trump administration has taken to AI, after President Joe Biden often addressed AI by spotlighting the need for guardrails around the technology, and lined up major AI companies to agree to a set of voluntary commitments for ‘responsible innovation’,” the article said. Rebrands can be chances for renewal and modernization. The approach should reflect core values. It’s clear that this administration’s take on AI is more attuned to innovation rather than safety and that is reflected in the name change. Lutnick addresses the rebrand by framing it as a positive approach to allow creators to have freer reign around AI innovation. It’s important to have clear messaging that aligns with brand strategy or you’ll risk losing trust.
Courtney Blackann is a communications reporter. Connect with her on LinkedIn or email her at courtneyb@ragan.com.
The post The Scoop: McDonald’s announces the return of the Snack Wrap in stripped down social post appeared first on PR Daily.
