Lessons from the social media food battle
It was the bite seen around the world.
Back in March, a promotional video showing McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski taking a tiny bite of the new “Big Arch” burger went viral, sparking a wave of memes and mockery. Social media users roasted him for seeming uncomfortable and poked fun at the CEO’s use of the word “product” when describing his lunch.
Competing burger chains joined in, with the likes of A&W, Wendy’s and Burger King creating burger-eating videos of their own—but with big, satisfying bites. Grocery retailers also entered the social media fray, with Costco CEO Ron Vachris tucking into a $1.50 hot dog and T&T’s Tina Lee demonstrating “how to do a real CEO big bite” with a giant mouthful of the retailer’s sizable beef jianbing.
Like most viral moments, the brouhaha eventually died down, but it offers lessons for grocery retailers and food and beverage brands.
First and foremost: Think carefully about putting your top brass in front of the camera.
“They maybe should not have had him take that bite,” says Jacquie Kostuk, vice president of strategy at Fuse Create, a full-service creative agency, about the McDonald’s CEO video.
The challenge lies with personal branding. “You almost have to become a brand character as the CEO now and have a persona that is personable and in line with the brand values you’re putting out on social media,” Kostuk says. “That’s why when he took a bite and was clearly not much of a lover of fast food or their product, people saw right through it. The thing is, we’re terrible actors for the most part.”
With social media in particular, Kostuk says people want to believe it’s real. “It’s like when you’re watching a sitcom and you want to believe everyone’s best friends off camera,” she explains. “When you have a face to the brand, whether it’s a CEO or another employee, having it feel genuine is super important.”
She believes Costco’s Vachris does exactly that. The CEO of Costco seems like “a man of the people,” Kostuk says, noting he started at the company as a forklift driver and worked his way up the ranks—a story that’s in the public eye. “He has done a great job of building his consumer-facing brand as an individual… and he demonstrates living the values as a brand.”
In the Costco video, for example, Vachris states that the price of the hot dog—$1.50 with a pop—will never change as long as he’s around. What Costco did well, according to Kostuk, was lean into both the relatability of the CEO and the fanfare and community that already exists around the famously cheap hot dog combo.
“People are kind of obsessed with this hot dog and you have a CEO who’s saying, ‘I will protect this hot dog. I will do whatever I can to let it remain a loss leader,’” says Kostuk. “So, when he goes in and takes a bite… he is much more relatable. Eating that hot dog and nailing it on the first take is a ten out of ten.”
The stark difference between the two videos comes down to authenticity. Jo-Ann McArthur, president of Nourish Food Marketing, calls the McDonald’s video “corporate theatre,” which came across as more “ivory tower” than authentic.
“You could see the distance between his [multi-million dollar] salary and an $11 value meal—it was clearly scripted and not authentic,” McArthur says. “Do you really believe that he eats at McDonald’s? Not based on that video. That’s why it went viral for all the wrong reasons—because consumers can sense something that’s inauthentic right away.”
The video also looked like it was shot in a boardroom, she points out. “Why wouldn’t you go to a McDonald’s? The Costco CEO is in a food court in a Costco, so it’s real and he ate the whole thing. It’s believable.”
In McArthur’s view, T&T’s Lee also understood the assignment. “She did a great job. It was authentic because she’s already doing that kind of thing on her Instagram. She took a really big, messy bite and she was clearly enjoying it—and she was in a T&T store.”
Defining your online persona
When it comes to content creation, McArthur believes authenticity is especially important for food brands because food itself is intimate. “We eat it and it literally becomes a part of us. You can’t live without food. So, there is a higher standard and there should be a higher standard.”
Whether using a spokesperson or not, a good exercise for brands is defining their online persona, says Kostuk from Fuse Create.
“If your brand was one person, what are their interests, habits and routines? Because that helps shortlist what trends or trending items are credible for you to hop onto… Be conscious of what’s most worth it for who you are instead of trying to be someone else from a brand perspective.”
And if brands are putting a human face to their social media, McArthur says don’t be afraid to show vulnerability. “As humans, that’s how we connect—by showing a little bit about ourselves that’s human or personal and tells a story.”
Another tip? “Don’t take the soul out of your brand,” says McArthur. “Why did McDonald’s script the video and film it in a sterile boardroom? That’s not who your brand is. You want to have the same experience your customer is having.”
And, it goes without saying, always take a big bite.
