The Grimace Shake was launched in New Zealand on 23, October 2024 during the promotional event of McDonalds.
It is a berry milkshake, which was officially promoted on the social networks due to its rather exotic taste and violet color.
It is available to be taken on its own, but it can be complemented by meals such as Big Mac or Chicken McNugget.
Marketing Strategy
Some of these are McDonald’s marketing for the Grimace Shake, where young people have been marketed employing nostalgia and famous characters.
Returning Grimace figures for your 52 nd birthday McDonald’s successfully appealed to Millennial’s and especially Gen Z who like things from their past.
It was entertaining and the shake was promoted on social media, TikTok in particular. CEO Chris Kempczinski said the Grimace Shake proves how well McDonald ‘s is capable of doing marketing.
The Chief Marketing Officer, Matt Shaver, also noted the great response on social media as well as him tasting the shake himself, indicating the company’s appreciation for customer input and their integration and utilization in shaping the company’s growth, brand, as well as sales.
Consumer Anticipation
New Zealand’s people are really looking forward to the release of the Grimace Shake which is to be sold beginning October 23, 2024.
TikTok and other popular social networks are filled with people’s concern about the rare taste and purple hue.
Some people say they are waiting to try it like waiting for the release of a song.
The bloggers and influencers’ first reactions to the color are also divided; some of them said it was like a “berry wonderland” while others claimed the color resembled cotton candy and blueberry muffins.
This excitement is similar to what was witnessed when this shake was launched in other countries such as Canada and Australia where people had mixed feelings on the same.
All in all, the continuation of the same in New Zealand is expected to build upon the same for the shake and its cultural standing.
Nutritional Information
The Grimace Shake has about 580 calories, 75 grams of sugar, 15 grams of fat, and 12 grams of protein.
It’s a sweet and high-calorie treat, so it’s important to eat it in moderation. Health experts suggest it’s fine to have as a treat once in a while, but not every day.
It’s also good to exercise regularly to balance out the extra calories from sugary drinks like this one.
Availability Across Other Regions
The Grimace Shake has been a hit worldwide since it first came out in the US in June 2023. It then expanded to Canada in May 2024, where fans were excited to try it after waiting for its first release.
In Australia, it was launched in October 2024, as part of a special meal deal. The shake has been well-received, leading McDonald’s to think about bringing it to more places.
Talks are happening about adding it to other countries, possibly during special times or events to attract more customers.
Customer Engagement Initiatives
Through TikTok, McDonald’s has introduced the Grimace Shake during one of their trends, which was then famous.
Customers were very happy with the shake and they created funny videos for the shake and uploaded them.
This made me get millions of views and more people wanting to try the shake. McDonald’s also encouraged customers to tell their own Grimace Shake stories which made the trend even larger.
This strategy proved good, and helped establish that McDonalds can appeal to the youth who form a major consumption niche today.
In the marketing of the shake McDonald’s made it interactive by marketing it through the social media platforms.
Critiques and Controversies
The Grimace Shake has been met with several ‘tastes and takes’, however, some consumers claim to have gotten a sweet berry resonance while others compared it to cough syrup or fake candy in this regard, the experts’ opinions have differed.
In a blogging site, it was difficult to savor and some people gave it a low rating due to sweetness and unsure of its taste.
On the healthy front, it contains a lot of calories, and has a lot of sugar, which may pose a problem to the health conscious.
There are also some controversies whether McDonald’s purposely made it become viral in social media sites but the company claims that it was actually because fans are quite interested which is not really an advertising plan.
Customers also admire it because when you mix this drink, it looks bright and feels smooth on the throat, and generally tastes delicious if you add the Grimace Shake as the final touch.
It has helped McDonalds to Stand out with its creative ads that combines old favourites with new paradigms of virtually good at Marketing foods online.