Hungry for Partnerships
According to IBIS World, there are 548,062 Global Fast Food Restaurants businesses as of 2024. To narrow things down a bit, Statista reported that in 2023 there were approximately 195,507 quick service restaurant (QSR) franchise establishments in the United States. If that number still seems too big, how about the 15,485 fast food restaurants calculated by Snappy in California?
Point is, there's A LOT of competition in the fast food business and brands are trying to find ways to sway customers in their direction. With so many choices available, consumers are often overwhelmed, making it increasingly difficult for brands to stand out and capture their attention. In this article, Hollywood Branded shares how fast food restaurants, also known as QSRs, are using popular intellectual properties (IPs) to bring in customers and create buzz around their business.
Why license Intellectual Properties?
In a world of constant competition and nearly an infinite amount of choices, something influences us to end up making the choice we do which then in turn becomes our reality.
Without becoming too philosophical (I'll leave that to the Marvel Cinematic Universe to explore), it's important to acknowledge that there is a cause and effect and in the world of business that is generated through marketing and advertising.
As marketers and advertisers the goal is to attract current and potential customers' attention and get them to purchase the product or service that is being sold.
Now comes the challenge of how to do so in this digital world where people can be pitched on a constant basis regardless of time or geographic location.
Enter licensing.
A tool that brands can use to engage new and current customers in a fun fresh way that can increase sales.
An added benefit of licensing popular IPs is that they can blend an alternate world — where brands our brands may not exist — and bring it into our world.
That means that while an integration into the film or series may not be possible due to the fictionally world of the story, it can still exist in our world.
Spongebob x Wendy's
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of SpongeBob SquarePants, over 250 restaurants in major global cities partnered with Nickelodeon and Paramount to come out limited edition (licensed) SpongeBob SquarePants menu items and activations.
Photo: Nickelodeon | Paramount
While each of the partnered restaurants were able to come out with their own Krabby Patty-inspired dishes, Wendy's landed on top as the stand-out QSR brand from the "kollab".
On the news, social media, and in press articles everyone was talking about Wendy's take on the Krusty Krab classic bite.
Through licensing the SpongeBob SquarePants IP Wendy's was able to create the "Krabby Patty Kollab" meal. This pack consisted of Wendy's take on the Krabby Patty (i.e a cheeseburger with their special sauce), french fries, and a "Pineapple Under the Sea Frosty (i.e. vanilla frosty with pineapple mango puree).
To add to the excitement, for the first two days of the meal's launch Wendy's hosted a immersive drive-thru experience in Panorama City in Los Angeles. During the first day, some special customers even got SpongeBob merchandise!
Photo: Comfort Cartoons | Nickelodeon | Paramount
As an added bonus, 500 lucky Wendy's customers who ordered a Krabby Patty received a limited-edition SpongeBob sticker sheet with a free 30-day Paramount+ trial.
Since the Krabby Patty Kollab meal's launch fans flocked to Wendy's to get their own Krabby Patty.
By tapping into the beloved IP and garnering the ability to release their version of the Krabby Patty first, Wendy's reached Gen Z and Millennials audiences who grew up watching SpongeBob and secure a spot as top-of-mind for fast food. The partnership not only resonated with fans of the show but also reinforced Wendy's playful and quirky brand identity. In addition, the collaboration boosted chatter around Wendy's as customers shared their experiences having purchased the meal.
Ultimately, the collaboration with SpongeBob was a win-win, elevating both brand visibility and consumer engagement.
Burger King x Addams Family
In contrast to Wendy's brighter more bubbly partnership, Burger King opted to go for a more seasonal-themed one as they announced their The Addams Family Menu.
Starting October 10th until mid-November consumers could get into the Halloween spirit with Burger King's The Addams Family bites.
Photo: Burger King | MGM Pictures
On the limited edition menu were Wednesday's Whopper, Gomez's Churro Fries, Morticia's Kooky Chocolate Shake, and Thing's Rings & other Things.
In addition to the exciting purple burger with black sesame seeds, Burger King also offered The Addams Family inspired crowns and kid's toys!
Photo: Photo: Burger King | MGM Pictures
Photo: SGNewsMan | Burger King | MGM Pictures
Most likely unplanned, Burger King's partnership with The Addams Family was perfectly timed with the Krabby Patty Kollab campaign. While most brands tend to shy away from direct competition this exclusive menu launch helped Burger King to stay top-of-mind and even increase reach among potential customers as many discussions over social media were how Burger King did this partnership "right" compared to Wendy's kollab meal.
It seems Burger King and Wendy's had a Barbenheimer moment with these two partnerships going head to head, yet both benefitted from the added social buzz where consumers compared the meals driving viewers and likeminded content creators to go and experience the meals for themselves.
McDonald's x Mario Kart
McDonalds. One of, if not, THE biggest fast food chains in the world.
How did McDonald's come to have over 40,000 restaurants across the globe and maintain it's high ranking?
One of those reasons is licensing.
Known for their kid's meal toys and limited edition collectibles, McDonald's does an outstanding job offering exciting and intriguing products and menu items.
The QSR has partnered with major companies like Disney, Mattel, and Universal Studios to offer kids meal toys, collectible products, and limited edition menu items promoting various IPs.
Photo: McDonald's
Photo: McDonald's
Photo: McDonald's
More recently, McDonald's has once again tapped into the enduring power of iconic franchises. Their latest collaboration with Nintendo's Mario Kart is bringing joy to fans of all ages as iconic Mario Kart toys have joined Happy Meals in promotion of the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe game.
Photo: McDonald's | Nintendo | Mario Kart
This collaboration has generated excitement among fans of all ages, with collectible toys featuring beloved characters like Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach.
By partnering with Nintendo, McDonald's is able to maintain it's position as a major brand as well as bring themselves into popular culture (as McDonald's has become a popular culture icon in their own right having become a common sight and reference in productions).
Photo: Amazon Prime Video (The Boys) | Product Placement Blog
From these offerings the QSR attracts consumers from children to adults to their restaurants while boosted sales and strengthening McDonald's brand image as a modern yet classic family-friendly destination.
The Power of Licensing
QSRs have leveraged licensing IP and re-invigorated their offerings to attract customers, new and old.
By playing off their selected IPs, fast food restaurants are able to introduce or re-introduce consumers to a menu item in a new way that pique's their interest. Out of sheer curiosity, consumers are then driven to try an item that they may have never thought to get before or fall in love with it all over again.
Photo: McDonald's | Cactus Plant Flea Market
The incorporation of toys and collectibles add an extra layer where customers have the thrill of not knowing which ones they're going to get. There's the perfect amount of excitement over the toy or collectible that's attached to the IP yet enough variety in chance that they're going to get their desired one that has them returning to collect them all!
In any case, whether you're a restaurant or brand in a completely different category, licensing with IPs and making things limited edition (which usually happens because of the licensing deal) is something all brands can capitalize on.
Partnerships with IPs prompt excitement and eagerness to purchase since there's only so much time until it's gone!
So better act fast and find what IPs you want to partner with before it's too late!
Eager To Learn More?
If you enjoyed earning about how partnering with IPs can help your brand, check out these articles!
- The Power of Seasonal Branded Products: How Limited Edition Items Drive Urgency, FOMO, and Engagement
- How Brands Are Using Established IPs
- Dive into Barbiecore: The Coolest Brand Partnerships for the Barbie Movie Release
- Studios Take Their Intellectual Property To The Next Level With Theme Parks
- How Wicked’s Brand Partnerships are Shaping Movie Marketing
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