As Big Mac turns 50, McDonald’s will offer a redeemable coin – Info PR

To celebrate the Big Mac, McDonald’s went old school.

The fast-food chain minted a commemorative coin, worth one Big Mac at
thousands of locations worldwide, and social media users jumped on the
trend.

McDonald’s share this video on YouTube to explain:

It also shared the news via Twitter:

We’re celebrating 50 years of Big Mac by creating a global currency—MacCoin—each one worth a free Big Mac around the ????, with 5 collectible designs for 5 legendary decades. Starting August 2, collect your own MacCoins when you buy a Big Mac while supplies last. #BigMac50 pic.twitter.com/xn8Z9GNLSp

— McDonald’s (@McDonalds) July 29, 2018

McDonald’s chief executive explained the significance of the rollout date.

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USA Today reported:

In an Interview with USA TODAY, McDonald’s CEO Steve Easterbrook explained
Thursday was selected as the release date for the brass-colored coins
because it would’ve been the 100th birthday of Jim Delligatti, a McDonald’s
franchisee in western Pennsylvania who invented the Big Mac.

The coin idea sprung from the role that the Big Mac has played in measuring
purchasing power.

In 1986, The Economist started using the Big Mac Index as a way of
measuring the purchasing power of international currency. “They use it to
this day,” Easterbrook said. “Why not have some fun with it? Create our own
currency.”

Other outlets recounted the origin of the Big Mac.

Bloomberg reported:

As with many of its popular and long-lasting menu items, the idea for the
Big Mac came from a franchisee.

In 1967, Michael James “Jim” Delligatti lobbied the company to let him test
the burger at his Pittsburgh restaurants. Later, he acknowledged the Big
Mac’s similarity to a popular sandwich sold by the Big Boy chain.

“This wasn’t like discovering the light bulb. The bulb was already there.
All I did was screw it in the socket,” Delligatti said, according to
“Behind the Arches.”

McDonald’s wants to protect its storied menu item and promises it won’t
alter the burger, even as it introduces other big changes to its business.

Business Insider reported:

McDonald’s has found success with offering different sizes in the form of
the
Grand Mac and Mac Jr.
for limited periods. However, Easterbrook says the chain is cautious of
making big changes like swapping the patty for a veggie burger or chicken.

“We think the Big Mac needs to be sacrosanct,” Easterbrook said.

Another thing McDonald’s won’t get the Big Mac mixed up in: cryptocurrency.

Despite the MacCoin’s phonetic similarities to Bitcoin, Easterbrook assured
Business Insider that the “currency” was purposefully created to be
“tangible,” in keeping with the Big Mac’s meaty tradition.

McDonald’s has been testing changes to its menu and business operations,
introducing
fresh-cooked hamburgers
in many markets and removing
plastic straws from its U.K. stores.

This move could help convince fans that the burger they love isn’t going
anywhere.

For fans worried that this latest gimmick will turn out like McDonald’s
Szechuan Sauce promotion, where demand far outstripped supply, consumers can rest assured.

Thrillist reports that over 6.2 million
coins will be distributed.

On social media some remarked that the minted coin seems like a throwback
marketing move:

McDonald’s has a limited edition MacCoin to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Big Mac. It’s an actual coin. Not a cryptocurrency. How quaint! $MCD pic.twitter.com/K5e7VyFyeZ

— Paul R. La Monica (@LaMonicaBuzz) July 30, 2018

Others remarked that people are more likely to collect the coins than redeem them:

If you think I’d redeem a MacCoin for another Big Mac rather than hoarding a vault of them like a treasure for decades, you are incorrect.
Because I’d do that second thing. pic.twitter.com/MCWqA0NZVm

— David (@FakeEyes22) July 30, 2018

Many seem more interested in the coin than the free burger:

So, if you buy a BigMac this week, you’ll get a Big Mac coin. I haven’t bought a BigMac in maybe 5 years, but I kinda want that coin… ????

— Joe™ (@TanookiKuribo) July 30, 2018

On Facebook, users praised the program:

What do you think of McDonald’s throwback move, PR Daily readers?

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