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McDonald’s new Halloween campaign is a social media disaster

Courtesy Dinkun Chen/Creative Commons

McDonald’s latest Halloween #TrickorEat campaign appears to be spectacularly backfiring with social media users.

The campaign, which is presumably intended solely as a bit of good-natured Halloween punnery, has been picked up for all the wrong reasons. Twitter users have noted that, in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis that has many poorer families literally forced to choose whether to heat their homes or eat a meal, puns around eating are perhaps somewhat ill-advised.

Vice-chair of the Medical Journalist’s Association Jane Symons spoke for many when she questioned McDonald’s judgement with its latest gimmick.
 

The End Fuel Poverty coalition, meanwhile, took the opportunity to share the shocking statistic that there are currently more food banks in the UK than McDonald’s restaurants – and there is no shortage of McDonald’s restaurants.
 


Other social media scamps suggested the slogan could refer to the latest dystopian policy of a Tory government that is excelling at setting new records for unpopularity among voters.
 

The hashtag is certainly trending on Twitter, but probably not for the reasons McDonald’s marketing team had hoped. Expect to see this one pulled before the witching hour descends.

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