McDonald's bets on nostalgia to boost sales with McDonaldland Meal

McDonald's latest nostalgic marketing push promoting the McDonaldland Meal has one local owner anticipating a supersized success.

Jonah Kaufman, who owns 10 McDonald's across Long Island, is expecting that the fast-food chain's strategy, which revolves around the company's history, will generate more foot traffic to his stores.

"We've had some [campaigns] that have people clamor to come into your restaurants, and some with a modest attraction," Kaufman said. "Everybody thought the return of the Snack Wrap would be a nice addition. It ended up being a big addition! People clamored for it — much more than we expected."

McDonald’s latest marketing push around the McDonaldland Meal, which drops Tuesday, aims to tap into Millennial and Gen X nostalgia with retro mascots, limited-edition merch and a colorful new shake — part of a national strategy to drive foot traffic and social buzz.

McDonaldland was a fictional “world” created in 1971 that was used in games, movies and commercials, according to McDonald's.

“The McDonaldland Meal makes sense for a couple reasons,” said Kristoffer Inton, an analyst for Morningstar Research Services LLC, a financial services firm in Chicago. “One is the nostalgic aspect of adults who used to get happy meals and these characters that they grew up with. The other is that colorful shake that taps into menu innovation and excitement.”

The meal comes with a blue-and-pink milkshake, a Quarter Pounder or 10 Chicken McNuggets and fries, as well as a collectible tin featuring one of six characters, with stickers and other items, according to the company.

Inton compared the McDonaldland Meal to similar initiatives McDonald’s has rolled out in the past, including the 2023 Grimace Shake, which celebrated the 52nd birthday of one of its mascots. The shake went viral on TikTok and McDonald's CEO and chairman Chris Kempczinski dubbed the second quarter of 2023 “the season of Grimace” during an earnings call. But Inton said it’s impossible to know if the shake actually drove sales. 

“Obviously they wouldn’t do anything that they don’t think moves the needle, but it’s hard to isolate any one factor to say how beneficial it was,” he said.

McDonald's announcement comes on the heels of the company’s second quarter earnings report, which showed McDonald’s global sales growth of 6% year-over-year.

The growth "is a testament to the power of compelling value, standout marketing, and menu innovation — proving again that when we stay focused on executing what matters most to our customers, we grow,” Kempczinski said in the earnings report.

In addition to the Meal, themed apparel will be available through Pacsun starting Tuesday. Luggage company Away will include complimentary McDonaldland bag charms with every purchase starting Aug. 18.

Find the nearest McDonald’s through its store locator.