Fast-food chains tap ‘kidult’ marketing to woo consumers
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“McDonald’s always makes me feel young no matter how old I grow,” Liu Yuxuan, who eats three meals a week at the fast-food restaurant, posted on the lifestyle platform Xiaohongshu, also known among Anglophones as RedNote.
She’s not exactly old in her early 20s, but she is representative of the target of the marketing trend being embraced by the fast-food industry in China.
The goal is to appeal to the “inner child” of consumers. It’s called “kidult” marketing, and it appeared several years ago with the popularity of blind-box toys.
McDonald’s toy promotions have been proven highly successful, like the limited edition McTalkie, walkie-talkie gizmos encased in facsimiles of boxes of fries or McNuggets that were released last year and sold out quickly.
A time-limited offering of McDonald’s Hamburger Store — which sells plush toys, no burgers — is part of a strategy to grow in tandem with the youth culture.
At the store, cashiers ask each customer whether they need additional sauces or pickles before carefully wrapping a toy burger in a paper bag reminiscent of McDonald’s meals.
Welcome to the world of hamburgers you can’t eat and coffee you can’t drink.
British-based toymaker Jellycat proved just how successful this marketing ploy can be when it opened its Jellycat pop-up cafe at the Jing’an Kerry Center in September, with adults lining up to buy facsimiles of teapots, cups of latte and baked goods.
At the checkout, cashiers carefully wrapped teapot plush toys in paper and put them in bags, advising customers to be careful on the way home lest the “teapots” break.
Xiao Mingchao, founder of a local consumer insights provider Zhimeng, said he believes this marketing trend is fueled by the desire of young adults to recapture the comforts of childhood and relieve the stress of everyday living.
“The latest consumption preferences clearly reflect a significant shift toward emotional fulfillment, community connection and individuality,” he said, adding that many iconic brands have been quick to cater to this trend.
The idea behind this marketing trend is to weave fun and a bit of nostalgia into the fast-food experience. In other words, feeding emotions as well as appetites.
By promoting “kidult” toys, McDonald’s is aiming to leverage its diehard fan base of about 300 million registered customers and hoping they will become brand ambassadors to the enormous online community.
Daomeidan, an apparel maker that uses recycled materials, gained 13,500 “likes” on Xiaohongshu after unveiling a jacket made with dozens of McDonald’s paper bags.
On the website, posts related to maimen, or McDonald’s enthusiasts, generated more than 400,000 discussions and attracted nearly 96 million views.
In addition to sharing their daily menu items, these enthusiasts use social networking sites to show handmade decorative works and clothing made from leftover packaging materials or ice cream cups.
A survey of about 1,000 consumers 35 years or younger by The Beijing News last year found that nearly 30 percent of them were willing to spend money on things of emotional value.
It’s all part of the larger market for collectable toys in China, which grew from 6.3 billion yuan (US$870 million) in 2015 to 34.5 billion yuan in 2021, and is forecast to hit 110.1 billion yuan by next year.
“Many consumer categories are still largely undertapped when it comes to creating ‘rituals’ that unlock purchasing power,” said Mark Tanner, founder of marketing agency China Skinny.
Brands should consider opportunities to create ritual, ceremony and occasions that build consumer loyalty and increase spending, Tanner added.
Strong competition in the fast-food sector means companies can’t rely only on tasty food anymore to generate foot traffic. The industry has become a battleground of offering enjoyable elements that tie in with the youth culture’s propensity for funny cartoon figures.
The China Cuisine Association reports there were 3.8 million fast-food outlets in the first half of 2024, with 36 percent of them chain operated.
McDonald’s, hoping to catch up with KFC, which now operates more than 11,000 outlets in China, has set a target of increasing its numbers from about 6,700 now to 10,000 by 2028.
For its part, KFC has turned to sports stars and popular cartoon and animation works to woo the young generation.
A gift pack featuring custom acrylic keychains and postcards of KFC’s new brand ambassador, Chinese table tennis star Sun Yingsha, is among the most sought-after items by fans this month.
The chain’s dancing Psyduck toy, which draws on the popular Pokemon character, has also been popular with consumers.
Not to be left behind, Burger King has tied up with Chinese romance simulation game “Mr Love: Queen’s Choice,” and fast-food chain Dicos just started to offer toys based on the American animation film “Minions.”
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