October 5, 2020
The ‘Mi Gente’ singer’s go-to order includes a Big Mac, fries and an Oreo McFlurry.
McDonald’s is quickly following the success of the Travis Scott meal on its U.S. menu with one featuring the signature order of another popular singer: J Balvin.
The J Balvin meal—a Big Mac (which he gets sans pickles), medium fries with ketchup, and an Oreo McFlurry—will be on the menu Oct. 5 through Nov. 1.
Promoting a meal with the hit Colombian Reggaeton singer gives McDonald’s a fresh way to get people excited about its brand and potentially garner followers of its own from among the millions of J Balvin fans. As McDonald’s notes, the 35-year-old singer has sold more than 35 million records worldwide. The meal quickly generated buzz for McDonald’s before lunchtime: Complex and Hypebeast posted interviews with J Balvin promoting the meal.
There’s even a bit of a customer-acquisition deal at play: The Oreo McFlurry is included for free only for orders placed using an offer on the McDonald’s app.
J Balvin quickly explains the meal in a 30-second spot that is mostly in English with a little bit of Spanish (“Hola, soy J Balvin,” and later, “con ketchup”) thrown in. The Wieden+Kennedy New York spot debuted on YouTube and is set to make its TV debut during baseball playoff games on Monday. It shows his signature line “¡Lego!” before the “I’m loving it” tagline, much like the Travis Scott spot included “it’s lit,” one of his signature lines.
On Monday, app users also received a push notification about the J Balvin meal, which arrived (if app users had their phone sound on) with the chain’s signature “ba da ba ba ba” jingle.
J Balvin let his millions of social media followers know about the meal. On Instagram, a post included an image of him eating a fry while wearing what appears to be a gem-studded Big Mac necklace, along with a yellow jacket and red pants, hues that are signature colors for McDonald’s.
“From topping charts around the world to landing countless award nominations, J Balvin is a trailblazing international icon,” McDonald’s U.S. Chief Marketing Officer Morgan Flatley said in a statement. “He’s always been a regular at McDonald’s restaurants during his concert tours, and now we’re excited to bring his go-to order to our menus across the U.S.”
Along with his own hits, J Balvin is featured by other singers. He and Bad Bunny sang on Cardi B’s “I Like It,” for example, and also appeared on stage with Jennifer Lopez and Shakira during this year’s Super Bowl halftime show.
Adding another celebrity meal on the heels of the Travis Scott one—and as Spicy Chicken McNuggets have done so well following their limited-time Sept. 16 introduction that they’re sold out in some locations—gives McDonald’s another way to keep its momentum going. Fast feeders such as McDonald’s, the world’s largest restaurant chain, overall are outperforming other types of restaurants during the pandemic, thanks in large part to their drive-thrus.
“As a longtime McDonald’s fan, I am excited to join the short list of global icons who have had a meal named in their honor,” J Balvin said in a statement, hinting at the plans to follow. “I am looking forward to sharing my signature order with my fans, along with more surprises that are to come with this partnership. ¡Lego!”
McDonald’s announced restaurant crew members will get t-shirts designed by the singer. And, according to Hypebeast, there will be “an expansive merch rollout” with the meal.
The Travis Scott meal was offered Sept. 8 through Oct. 4, and included a Quarter Pounder with cheese, bacon and lettuce; fries served with barbecue sauce for dipping; and Sprite. Travis Scott’s tastes were similar to those of the only celebrity meal to precede it, 1992’s McJordan. That sandwich, named for basketball legend Michael Jordan, featured a Quarter Pounder with cheese, bacon, barbecue sauce, onions, mustard and pickles.
The Travis Scott meal was sold for $6, and later into the promotion it was only available for $6 if ordered through the app. McDonald’s promotional efforts with Travis Scott included selling merchandise, and a sweepstakes giving away five Travis Scott action-figure collectibles, each valued at $375.
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