Brands are increasingly using nostalgia in marketing and products to appeal to customers.
Now the biggest food chain in the country is leaning into fond memories of childhood.
And McDonald’s is releasing this new menu item that reminds you of grandma.
McDonald’s launching a new Grandma theme McFlurry
McDonald’s – often to the frustration of its fans – has stuck with two basic flavors for its McFlurry, Oreo and M&M’s.
Now the fast-food chain is shaking things up with a brand new flavor for the McFlurry.
The Grandma McFlurry is coming to menus nationwide for a limited time.
It features a sweet syrup that’s topped with chopped, crunchy candy pieces that McDonald’s touts as “like grandma’s favorite treat that she hid in her purse!”
All blended together in vanilla soft serve ice cream.
“Grandmas have always held a special place in our hearts, and today they’re having a major moment influencing culture – inspiring trends in fashion, decor, and now, even food with our Newest McFlurry,” McDonald’s Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer Tariq Hassan said.
“The Grandma McFlurry tastes like a trip down memory lane, and we’re excited to give our fans that experience while honoring the grandma figure in all our lives,” Hassan added.
McDonald’s has run limited edition McFlurry flavors in the past but nothing like the Grandma-themed one before.
The vague description of the flavor of the Grandma McFlurry had users on social media guessing what it could be.
“Grandma McFlur[r]y is a McFlur[r]y but it has a Werther’s Original on it that came from the bottom of a purse,” one user speculated.
“[It’s] butterscotch flavored with crumbles,” another guessed.
The Grandma McFlurry was created by a grandma according to McDonald’s.
“She was relentless in perfecting a deliciously craveable treat meant to evoke special memories with grandma or the grandma-figure in your life, drawing from her own experiences,” McDonald’s VP of Menu Strategy Marcelo Fajnerman stated.
EVERYTHING about McDonald’s latest campaign🧵
This one feels special. Because it will celebrate the unique bond between grandparents, grandchildren and McDonald’s, where all grandparents became our superheroes. That is why McD will release a Grandma McFlurry, starting 5/21. pic.twitter.com/VrTGHolX8j— Guillaume Huin (@HuinGuillaume) May 16, 2024
The Grandma McFlurry cup adds to the aesthetic with a doily surrounding the McDonald’s logo and an “XOXO, Grandma” message.
To help promote it, McDonald’s is releasing two cover songs on streaming services to help give customers “an extra sweet way” to connect with their grandma.
Singer-songwriter Remi Wolf is covering the Marvin Gaye song “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)” and Puerto Rican artist Jay Wheeler is covering the Latin song “Piel Canela.”
McDonald’s dealing with declining sales from price increases
The price of fast food has surged after inflation hit four decades causing McDonald’s and other chains to lose their value proposition to consumers.
According to FinanceBuzz, the price of many of the menu items at McDonald’s has doubled over the last decade.
More fast food customers are choosing to eat at home rather than pay the higher menu prices.
McDonald’s, Starbucks, and KFC among others have turned in disappointing sales numbers as consumers pare back.
Turning to nostalgia for a happier time like the Grandma McFlurry might be able to help the fast food giant get some customers back into the store.
