Not everyone is happy with Cardi B and Offset’s partnership with McDonald’s.
Nearly three weeks ago, McDonald’s debuted a new ad campaign featuring the couple promoting “The Cardi B & Offset Meal,” a meal bundle chosen specifically by both of them.
When it comes to the collaboration, it turns out some McDonald’s franchisees aren’t “lovin’ it.” According to Bloomberg News, store owners believe that having Cardi B promote McDonald’s will hurt the brand because of the “profanity and sexual content” of her music.
They 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.”
“It’s kind of a culture-shock thing when you consider the McDonald’s brand over the years, especially if you’re a franchisee and you’re 50 or 60 years old and you don’t have any kids and haven’t been exposed to any types of these lyrics,” said Dick Adams, a former McDonald’s owner.
The last time franchisees were vocal about an advertising partnership they didn’t agree with was in 2020 when McDonald’s teamed up with Travis Scott to create his own celebrity-endorsed meal. Scott’s music also includes expletives in the lyrics.
McDonald’s is sticking by Cardi B and Offset and their decision to include them on the menu. “We’re focused on putting McDonald’s at the center of culture,” said Tariq Hassan, McDonald’s chief marketing and customer experience officer for the U.S. market. “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.”
