After 10 years of flying under the radar, the McDonald's Hamburglar is still up to his old burger-thieving tricks, but this time he's got a whole new look. No longer a short, pudgy, redhead with buck teeth and oversized glasses, this laid-back-bad-boy is tall, dark and handsome,with the same mysterious eye mask, and a five o'clock shadow!
As more fast food chains emerge, McDonald's has decided to do a little revamping. Bringing back the Hamburglar's familiar face with a modernized makeover will appeal to both the previous generations who can rekindle their love for the goofy crook, as well as make new connections to today's youth.
After the successful reintroduction of Ronald McDonald's more humanized aura a few years ago, the burger joint is sure to draw in more customers thanks to the hunky Hamburglar.
What Makes This Trend Stand Out
- Fast Food Mascot Makeovers
- Fast food chains are upgrading and modernizing their mascots to appeal to both the previous generations and today's youth, presenting an opportunity for companies that specialize in character design and marketing.
- Nostalgia Marketing
- The success of reintroducing old and familiar faces for fast food mascots that resonate with previous generations presents an opportunity for companies to use nostalgia marketing in promoting their products and services.
- Humanized Branding
- Following the successful reintroduction of Ronald McDonald's more humanized aura a few years back, fast food chains can capitalize on this trend by bringing back old mascots in more modernized, realistic, and relatable forms to humanize their branding and foster strong customer connections and loyalty.
Sectors Adopting This
- Character Design
- Fast food chains' mascot makeovers create opportunities for character design companies to revamp or create new mascots for other companies and products.
- Marketing
- Upgrading mascots is a marketing strategy that could inspire companies to hire marketing firms to help rebrand or revamp their products.
- Fast Food
- Fast food chains themselves have an opportunity to use mascot makeovers as a way to stand out and attract customers in an increasingly crowded market.
