Superstar rap couple Cardi B and Offset, partnered with the fast-food giant Mcdonald’s for their latest “Famous Orders” marketing campaign. Since the release of the campaign, backlash from some restaurant owners has come about. The owners claim that the hip-hop stars don’t align with the brand’s values.
The couple’s meal was released to correspond with Valentine’s Day and features a cheeseburger with BBQ sauce, a Coke, a Quarter Pounder with cheese, and Hi-C Orange Lavaburst.
According to The Wall Street Journal, over 1,000 McDonald’s franchisees, including some operating in Southeastern and mid-Atlantic states, have declined to promote the Cardi B and Offset meal out of concern about being associated with the artists. They believe that having Cardi B promote McDonald’s will hurt the brand because of the “profanity and sexual content” of her music.
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Numerous restaurant owners have reached out to McDonald’s corporate division in recent weeks to vocalize their stance on the rappers’ lyrics and lifestyles, which they feel does not align with the company’s “family-friendly” image. According to Bloomberg News, some owners have encouraged their fellow franchisees to remove advertising and merchandise associated with the meal from their stores.
Furthemore, these franchisees also said Cardi B’s partnership with the restaurant chain breaks the “Golden Arches Code.” The code does not allow “partnerships with celebrities and influencers that have potential risk to damage our brand based on statements they have made or their positions on certain issues” and “music partnerships associated with content that includes offensive language in the lyrics.”
Still, McDonald’s is sticking by their initial decision to support Cardi and Offset by emphasizing that the deal has generated widespread support and excitement from its franchisees.
McDonald’s U.S. Chief Marketing Officer Tariq Hassan said, “Across our marketing, we’re focused on putting McDonald’s at the center of culture. Cardi and Offset are an iconic couple who have their own date-night tradition at McDonald’s that goes back years. We’re proud to share a little piece of that.”
This partnership follows a line of high-profile endorsement deals with artists such as Travis Scott, Saweetie, BTS, J Balvin, and Mariah Carey.
