The purple milkshake that turned a birthday celebration into a viral crime scene
In short: When McDonald's released the berry-flavored Grimace Shake in June 2023, they didn't expect a digital phenomenon. A bizarre TikTok trend transformed the purple drink into a catalyst for staged, gruesome horror videos, driving sales through unexpected, absurdist Gen Z humor that the company never planned.
To mark Grimace's 52nd birthday, McDonald's released a berry-flavoured milkshake across US locations between June 12 and July 9, 2023. This limited-time beverage eventually appeared in various other nations as well. The drink was initially sold as a standalone item or as part of a special birthday meal. This meal included medium fries and a choice between a Big Mac or Chicken McNuggets.
The GrimaceShake trend on TikTok saw users filming themselves drinking the berry-flavored treat before cutting to staged, ominous scenes where they appeared dead or covered in purple liquid. This absurdist humor, which reached over one billion views by July 12, 2023, was not part of McDonald's marketing strategy. The hashtag associated with this trend eventually surpassed 145,000 posts on the platform. This phenomenon was similar to previous marketing trends involving Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
The impact on business was significant. In the April–June 2023 period, McDonald's sales rose by 12%, exceeding The Wall Street Journal's 9.3% estimate. In the quarter following the release, the company reported $6.5 billion in sales, beating estimates by $200 million. This surge was driven by stores running out of ice cream as fans flocked to locations to participate in the viral trend. The surge in popularity contributed to a 10.3% increase in US sales for established stores. This unexpected success caused many locations to run out of ice cream supplies early in the day.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Grimace Shake
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