McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski posted a simple Instagram video trying the company’s new Big Arch burger. He took a small, polite bite and said he loved the product – then the internet exploded with mockery.
What started as a basic corporate food tasting turned into millions of dollars worth of free publicity. The video got so much attention that rival fast-food CEOs from Burger King, Wendy’s and others rushed to make their own burger-eating videos to cash in on the moment.
The Viral Cycle Strikes Again
The whole thing followed a predictable pattern that happens with brand content online. First, McDonald’s video went viral and got mocked for being awkward. Then competitor brands jumped in with their own versions, trying to steal some attention. Finally, people got tired of all the copycats and started saying McDonald’s original video was actually genius.
Now some people think this was all planned – that McDonald’s knew their CEO’s tiny bite would cause this frenzy and spark conspiracy theories about “4D social media chess.” But sources close to the company say that’s not true. Kempczinski has been doing these tasting videos for years, and this one only became special after people started making fun of it weeks later.
The earned media value from this accidental viral moment is easily worth millions for McDonald’s, proving that sometimes the most organic, unplanned content performs better than expensive ad campaigns.
