Japan: Food waste, monster queues... when McDonald's Pokémon campaign turns into a fiasco
McDonald's Japan has apologized after a marketing fiasco offering limited-edition Pokémon cards with the purchase of Happy Meals sparked long lines and social media outrage over food waste.
The American fast food giant also promised to require online retailers to take more effective measures against the abusive resale of these Pokémon cards. Photo Sipa/Mourad Allili
In Japan, the famous Pokémon cards are a real phenomenon among both children and some adults. So much so that McDonald's Japan's latest campaign turned into a fiasco. The fast-food chain apologized after its marketing campaign offering limited-edition Pokémon cards with the purchase of Happy Meals sparked long lines and outrage on social media about food waste.
"Unhappy Meals"Launched on Friday, the fast-food chain's campaign quickly spiraled out of control, with customers rushing to buy large quantities of meals only to resell them at a higher price on e-commerce sites. Social media was also flooded with negative comments about long lines at McDonald's restaurants, with unverified photos showing plastic bags filled with uneaten burgers and fries.
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Some are maliciously referring to an "Unhappy Meals" campaign as opposed to the popular "Happy Meal." "I couldn't buy a Happy Meal for my daughter because of these people," posted one user on X. "I'm sure there are adult Pokémon fans who actually want the cards, but these resellers are really embarrassing," complained another. "They go [to restaurants] to collect them and then throw the food away... for what profit?" lamented yet another. Similar issues have plagued other McDonald's campaigns in the past, including collaborations with manga series like "Chiikawa."
In announcing this latest marketing campaign, the company emphasized that each person could purchase a maximum of five meals. In a statement Monday, McDonald's acknowledged that there had been some instances of "massive purchases by customers, motivated by resale" that led "to the waste of our food."
The group added that it was seeking to "introduce a stricter limit" on future such operations. "Any attempt to purchase more than the authorized limit, to queue multiple times, or to behave in an intimidating manner towards our staff" will result in a refusal of sale, the company said. The American fast-food giant also promised to require online retailers to take more effective measures against the abusive resale of these Pokémon cards.
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