The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
On 18 June, McDonald’s PH branches turned purple with the release of their BTS meal, a collaboration with global K-POP sensation BTS. The partnership was met with both positive responses as well as a tremendous backlash against the product.
Isentia, the leading media intelligence organisation in Asia-Pacific, has uncovered the latest trends in brand partnerships. One of which is the much-awaited collaboration between fast-food giant McDonald’s and world-renowned Korean boy group BTS. This case study features the social media highs, the lows, and the comeback of the trending meal, along with sentiment from our industry-leading, award-winning Insights Team.
“BTS’s influence and popularity is undeniable. They have cultivated more than a loyal fanbase – they have created advocates who are more than willing to defend them and all-out express their admiration and support for them. For companies and brands, it is important to understand at what level your customers are,” Victoria Lazo, Insights Manager, Philippines, said.
The Come-Up
In ANC’s interview with McDo’s Managing Director Margot Torres, she said that the fast-food chain sold almost 3.5 million pieces of chicken nuggets after they released the meal. Conversations around the BTS x McDonalds collaboration skyrocketed. From 11 June to 25 June, the total buzzes for the term “BTS Meal” was 33,330. On the release day itself, the buzz was at 10,563 or 32% of the total buzz.
“Over the years, brands have taken advantage of the positive impact of celebrity endorsements on consumers’ purchase behaviour. Tapping prominent personalities, as well as social media influencers, has been a staple marketing strategy used by companies to create waves to promote brand awareness, shape perception, or push for brand loyalty,” Kate Dudang, Insights Manager, Philippines, stated.
“With this in mind, it is important to understand the influence and effectiveness of the prominent personalities – are they delivering the brand’s message? Are they building a following and connection for the brand? These are some questions that Isentia can answer through its data-driven insights reports that aim to help brands gauge and understand how their communication or marketing strategies fare based on a wide array of quantifiable metrics,” Dudang continued.
With the meal packaged in a paper bag filled with the famous BTS logo, many consumers recreated everyday home products into a BTS-filled collectable, posting it on social media and garnering thousands of likes, RTs, and shares from fellow ARMYs. One fan even framed the BTS Meal’s packaging.
“I consider BTS as one of the best global phenomena right now. I’m a long-time Hallyu fan myself, and I believe in what these groups are capable of, especially when promoting certain products… In terms of the companies’ and brands’ perspectives, it is essential to know what your market wants,” Aldhen Huenda, Insights Analyst, Philippines, noted.
The Fall-Off
As the popularity of the BTS meal grew, so did the restless trolls of the internet.
The word” Biot” is a Cebuano term for gay, bisexual, and feminine. What the trolls did is incorporate the word to BTS, making the phrase “BTS Biot”. The expression infamously grew in popularity, even making it to the top 10 most trending tweets even before the meal was released on 18 June.
The trolling did not stop there. One netizen went as far as replacing the word “meal” in the packaging with “biot.” Meanwhile, other netizens on social media ridiculed the ARMY’s love for the packaging of the meal by purposely crushing and destroying the BTS labelled paper bags and paper cups and posting it on social media to get a reaction out of the fans.
The Comeback
Insights Analyst Francis Calucin noted that “What BTS did with the BTS meal is beyond product interaction, we analysts saw an amazing display of dedication from the ARMY. This display of brand dedication opens up many avenues for other brands to capitalise on certain trends and personas. From
preserving the packaging and turning it into different BTS themed items to outright uninstalling delivery courier services apps for calling BTS slurs. But with all that said, calling the ARMY “just a fandom” will forever be an understatement.”
Even after all the conundrum from trolls on the internet, McDonald’s PH still raked in the fans by banking on the BTS brand. McDonald’s gave incentives to those who downloaded the McDonald’s App by featuring exclusive BTS content on their software, giving free drink upgrades to those who ordered the BTS meal via Ride-Thru. The promotion has convinced fans to eat the BTS meal with fellow fans by only charging 7 PHP per address to those who order for others.
What Isentia Can Do To Help Clients
The market decides what it wants, and if fans of a K-pop group populate the market, it is best to always appeal to that market and never get on their wrong side- just like what happened to Grab PH. With that said, as a brand, you should always be ahead in responding to criticism and complaints to appeal to consumers properly.
“Through their artistry, inspiring story, and uniqueness, BTS was able to build millions of loyal and devoted fans called ARMY. BTS’s authenticity and messages of inclusivity have earned them a huge group of people with a steadfast commitment and who are powerful enough to create major waves through various efforts like donations, votes, and purchases. True enough, the BTS Meal by McDonald’s successfully showed the impact of the symbiotic relationship between BTS and ARMY. For brands, investors, and companies, it is vital to understand the different factors that cause customers to buy a particular product or service. Isentia’s key products and trendspotting reports like this would help brands spot themes and conversations that could help and impact their businesses and consumers,” Rowelyn Bigayan, Insights Analyst, stated.
