Why McDonald’s and Taco Bell Keep Collaborating With Famous Musicians | Eater
"A global fast-food giant that helped pioneer celebrity-branded menu items and audio-marketing: an early high-profile tie-up with Michael Jordan produced a custom Quarter Pounder with cheese, smoked bacon, and barbecue sauce that launched in select Chicago outlets in March 1991 and, after strong demand, expanded regionally through 1993. In 2003 the company deployed an enduring “audio logo” campaign engineered with the Neptunes and a Justin Timberlake single (with Clipse contributions) to restore momentum after a sales slump; the campaign became the brand’s longest-running global marketing effort. Across the 2000s and 2010s it repeatedly partnered with high-profile and international artists (from Destiny’s Child to Travis Scott, J Balvin, and BTS) to sell signature meals, merch and in-app content—strategies that generated large upfront fees and substantial ancillary revenue (for example, the Travis Scott collaboration reportedly included a $5 million up-front payment and sizable merchandise returns). These celebrity tie-ins bolstered cultural relevance even as the company faced labor disputes, criticism over lobbying and pandemic workplace practices, and scrutiny about whether promotional gestures could substitute for deeper commitments to employees; the corporation also made public donations to civil-rights groups following nationwide unrest in 2020." - Shamira Ibrahim
