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McDonald’s and the Price of Eggs
The Egg McMuffin turned 50 over the weekend.
To celebrate, McDonald’s ran a promotion offering $1 McMuffins through its mobile app.
The campaign ended up being a lot more newsworthy than McDonald’s first anticipated.
With the cost of eggs surging nationwide, other restaurants have announced surcharges and increased prices to cover the increase.
That could have been a challenge for a promotion drastically reducing the price of an egg-centric item. But McDonald’s turned it into an opportunity.
McDonald’s had been planning this campaign for some time – Chief Innovation Officer Michael Gonda said as much in his LinkedIn post announcing the promo.
The post works without the callout, but it is stronger with it.
What’s that Got to Do with the Price of Eggs?
The post pivot achieves a few marketing goals for McDonald’s, including distinguishing itself from competitors who have raised prices and touting the new attributes of its eggs (now sourced 100% cage-free in the U.S.).
The Egg McMuffin itself was a game-changer for McDonald’s. The “hand-held eggs benedict” opened the door to breakfast offerings at McDonald’s and other fast food spots.
Now, 50 years later, breakfast remains a key priority for McDonald’s. The Egg McMuffin promotion is part of a broader #BreakfastComesFirst campaign. Taking the opportunity to adjust the campaign to better match PR opportunities will help elevate the campaign.
