Will the New Hamburglar Help McDonald's With Its Brand Image?

As McDonald's struggles, the brand relaunched the Hamburglar, a marketing mascot who hasn't been seen since 2002. But is that enough to help foster a turnaround?

After a 13-year hiatus, McDonald’s has brought back the Hamburglar. The burger-thieving mascot has transformed from a cartoon to a human man, a suburban dad on which the Internet is torn. Some people find him attractive, while others find him creepy. But what does he do for the brand’s image?

McDonald’s continues to struggle with declining sales and engaging Millennials, who largely prefer fast-casual chains like Chipotle and Panera Bread. Bob Kahn, president of branding firm Kahn Consulting, doesn’t think rebooting a mascot is the right solution to the brand’s main problem.

“The core problem with McDonald’s is the food. It’s not the gimmickry or the marketing campaigns around being clever,” he says. “It’s about the quality of the food and until that changes fairly dramatically, they’re not going to see a major turnaround in the business.

“The world has changed and McDonald’s, while it’s tried to keep up, is a bit out of step with where the mainstream trends are headed,” he adds, referring to Chipotle being frequently lauded for the quality of its ingredients.

Still, Kahn acknowledges McDonald’s strong brand name, which means that the new Hamburglar will command consumers’ attention. And it has. Twitter comments have ranged from “The new Hamburglar is kind of a DILF (dad I’d like to…)” to “It’ll be tough for McDonald’s to market their food to kids since the #Hamburglar can’t be within 2,000 ft of a school ” to “McDonald’s ‘new Hamburglar’ looks like ‘College Dude Who Threw a Halloween Costume Together At The Last Second.”

Of course, many social media mentions were strictly making fun, comparing the Hamburglar to people like Macklemore, Cary Elwes in The Princess Bride, and 1990s wrestler The Repo Man.

Subscribe to get your daily business insights

Whitepapers

US Mobile Streaming Behavior
Whitepaper | Mobile

US Mobile Streaming Behavior

5y

US Mobile Streaming Behavior

Streaming has become a staple of US media-viewing habits. Streaming video, however, still comes with a variety of pesky frustrations that viewers are ...

View resource
Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics for Media Groups
Whitepaper | Analyzing Customer Data

Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics for Media Groups

5y

Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics f...

Data is the lifeblood of so many companies today. You need more of it, all of which at higher quality, and all the meanwhile being compliant with data...

View resource
Learning to win the talent war: how digital marketing can develop its people
Whitepaper | Digital Marketing

Learning to win the talent war: how digital marketing can develop its peopl...

2y

Learning to win the talent war: how digital market...

This report documents the findings of a Fireside chat held by ClickZ in the first quarter of 2022. It provides expert insight on how companies can ret...

View resource
Engagement To Empowerment - Winning in Today's Experience Economy
Report | Digital Transformation

Engagement To Empowerment - Winning in Today's Experience Economy

1m

Engagement To Empowerment - Winning in Today's Exp...

Customers decide fast, influenced by only 2.5 touchpoints – globally! Make sure your brand shines in those critical moments. Read More...

View resource