Burgers you can't eat? Fast-food chains tap "kidult" marketing to woo consumers
The world of coffee you can't drink and hamburgers you can't eat responds to young adults' will to recapture the comforts of childhood.
"McDonald's always makes me feel young no matter how old I grow," Liu Yuxuan, who eats three meals a week at the fast-food outlet, posted on the lifestyle platform Xiaohongshu (Red).
She's not exactly old in her early 20s, but she is representative of the target of the marketing trend being embraced by the fastfood industry in China.
The goal is to appeal to the "inner child" of consumers. It's called "kidult" marketing, and it appeared several years ago with the popularity of blind box toys.
McDonald's toy promotions have been proven highly successful, like the limited edition McTalkie, walkie-talkie gizmos encased in facsimiles of boxes of fries or McNuggets that were released last year and sold out quickly.
A time-limited offering of McDonald's Hamburger Store – which sells plush toys, no burgers – is part of a strategy to grow in tandem with the youth culture.
At the store, cashiers ask each customer whether they need additional sauces or pickles before carefully wrapping a toy burger in a paper bag reminiscent of McDonald's meals.
Welcome to the world of coffee you can't drink and hamburgers you can't eat.
British-based toymaker Jellycat proved just how successful this marketing ploy can be when it opened its Jellycat pop-up cafe in the Jing'an Kerry Center last September, with adults lining up to buy facsimiles of teapots, cups of latte and baked goods.
At the checkout, cashiers carefully wrapped teapot plush toys in paper and put them in bad, advising customers to be careful on the way home lest the "teapots" break.
McDonald's staff ask each customer whether they need additional sauces or pickles before carefully wrapping a toy burger in a paper bag.
Xiao Mingchao, founder of a local consumer insights provider Zhimeng, said he believes this marketing trend is fueled by the desire of young adults to recapture the comforts of childhood and relieve the stress of everyday living.
"The latest consumption preferences clearly reflect a significant shift towards emotional fulfilment, community connection and individuality," he added, noting that many iconic brands have been quick to cater to this trend.
The idea behind this marketing trend is to weave fun and a bit of nostalgia into the fast-food experience. In other words, feeding emotions as well as appetites.
By promoting 'kidult" toys, McDonald's is aiming to leverage its diehard fan base to about 300 million registered customers and hoping they will become brand ambassadors to the enormous online community.
Daomeidan, an apparel maker that uses recycled materials, gained 13,500 "likes" on Xiaohongshu after unveiling a jacket made with dozens of McDonald's paper bags.
On the website, posts related to "maimen", or McDonald's enthusiasts, generated over 400,000 discussions and attracted nearly 96 million views.
In addition to sharing their daily menu items, these enthusiasts use social networking sites to show handmade decorative works and clothing made from leftover packaging materials or ice cream cups.
Posts related to "maimen", or McDonald's enthusiasts, generated over 400,000 discussions and attracted nearly 96 million views on Xiaohongshu (Red).
A survey of about 1,000 consumers 35 years or younger by Beijing News last year found that nearly 30 percent of them were willing to spend money on things of emotional value.
It's all part of the larger market for collectable toys in China, which grew from 6.3 billion yuan (US$890 million) in 2015 to 34.5 billion yuan in 2021, and is forecast to hit 110.1 billion yuan by next year.
"Many consumer categories are still largely undertapped when it comes to creating a 'rituals" that unlock purchasing power," said Mark Tanner, founder of marketing agency China Skinny.
Brands should consider opportunities to create ritual, ceremony and occasions that build consumer loyalty and increase spending, Tanner added.
Strong competition in the fast food sector means companies can't rely only on tasty food anymore to generate foot traffic. The industry has become a battleground of offering enjoyable elements that tie in with the youth culture's propensity for funny cartoon figures.
KFC's dancing Psyduck toy has been a hit with customers.
The China Cuisine Association reports there were 3.8 million fastfood outlets in the first half of 2024, with about 36 percent of them chain operated.
McDonald's, hoping to catch up with US-based KFC, which now operates over 11,000 outlets in China, has set a target of increasing its numbers from about 6,700 now to 10,000 by 2028.
For its part, KFC has turned to sports stars and popular cartoon and animation works to woo the young generation.
A gift pack featuring custom acrylic keychains and postcards of KFC's new brand ambassador, Chinese table tennis star Sun Yingsha, is among the most sought-after items by fans this month. The chain's dancing Psyduck toy, which draws on the popular Pokemon character, has also been popular with consumers.
Not to be left behind, Burger King has tied up with Chinese romance simulation game "Mr Love: Queen's Choice," and fast-food chain Dicos just started to offer toys based on the American animation film Minions.
