The golden arches are getting a pastel makeover for the holidays.
Fast food giant McDonald’s and Web3-based brand Doodles unveiled a collaboration on Thursday featuring custom cups showcasing the colorful, hand-drawn style of their Ethereum NFT collection. Customers will also be able to unlock digital collectibles and content, as well as access co-branded physical merchandise.
Dubbed the “GM Spread Joy” campaign, this marketing initiative is billed as an immersive experience that pays homage to Crypto Twitter’s mantra. This promotion, available to U.S. customers, is available at any of McDonald’s 13,500 participating restaurants.
The limited-edition cups, decorated in pink and blue on holiday-themed tables, allow customers to “rip the pack” experience, McDonald’s said in a press release.
Perfect for Doodles’ digital avatar, the product includes accessories and clothing for the Doodles character, as well as merchandise such as music videos and access to Doodles’ animated series. Doodles has launched an avatar creation “Stoodio” app on the Ethereum layer-2 network base that allows digital items to be used in addition to the original Ethereum NFT collection.
Outside the United States, where NFT projects have not faced intense regulatory scrutiny, the burger chain has used NFTs to promote the purple icon Grimace and launch a metaverse game called My Happy Place. Additionally, McDonald’s utilized The Sandbox, an Ethereum-based metaverse game, to pay homage to its chicken nuggets.
McDonald’s collaboration with Doodles could mark the company’s biggest step into the NFT space since its U.S. division unveiled a McRib-inspired NFT in 2021. In fact, McDonald’s was an early adopter of using digital assets as a way to reward customers and build brand loyalty.
Earlier this year, Doodles teamed up with sportswear leader Adidas to introduce virtual swag packs that allow shoppers to claim exclusive physical apparel. As Doodles’ chief brand officer, some of the memorabilia paid homage to songs he created with musician Pharrell Williams.
As part of the holiday promotion, McDonald’s customers will have access to the track “Good Mornin,” produced by Williams and performed by artist Marley Bleu. Williams, who once worked at McDonald’s, was inspired by internet culture and “viral ‘GM’ memes,” McDonald’s said.
Doodles of 10,000 generative profile photos (PFPs) feature artwork by Scott “Burnt Toast” Martin. According to CoinGecko, the current value of the collection is 20,296 ETH ($64 million), with the cheapest NFT in the collection on the secondary market listed for 2 ETH ($6,300).
That figure, said to be the lowest price for the collection, rose to 2.7 ETH ($8,500) earlier this week after McDonald’s promoted the collaboration on Twitter (aka X).
Editor: Andrew Hayward
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