McDonald's HK bakes culture into world-first chocolate McGriddles

McDonald's Hong Kong is turning breakfast into a cultural moment with the world's first chocolate McGriddles, fronted by COLLAR's Marf and powered by a music platform that connects with the city's youth.

Building on the popularity of the McGriddles series since its July 2024 Hong Kong debut, McDonald's has unveiled the world's first chocolate McGriddles with chocolate chips baked into the buns, alongside the new "Yin-yang" (鴛鴦) McGriddles deluxe breakfast, adding a sweet twist to the lineup and reinforcing the brand's commitment to innovation.

Don’t miss: How McDonald's HK's McGriddles rely on word-of-mouth to cause buzz

Through this campaign, McDonald's has moved beyond transactional marketing to build a long-term cultural brand, driven by two core strategies: debuting an innovative product developed by the Hong Kong team to reinforce global leadership and rejuvenating the McGriddles franchise to spark organic word-of-mouth.

Furthermore, by weaving McDonald’s Hong Kong’s breakfast music platform "SUCH A Goooood Morning" into the local youth music scene, the campaign seeks to turn a commercial message into an emotional morning habit and positions the brand as a cultural fixture for the city's seven million residents.

A spokesperson from McDonald's Hong Kong told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that the campaign targets two main groups. The first is Gen Z and young Millennials, who are digital natives and trend seekers, and who love sharing lifestyle content online, with a strong connection to local pop culture. The second is core McGriddles fans who are loyal brand advocates and are eager to try new versions of this iconic menu item.

The campaign also looks to engage cultural and music communities, niche audiences who are deeply connected to the "SUCH A Goooood Morning" music ecosystem and strong backers of local creative talent.

To connect with its target audience, McDonald's Hong Kong has chosen Marf as the face of the campaign because she embodies a bold, authentic, and energetic spirit that perfectly matches the disruptive nature of the world's first Chocolate McGriddles.

“Beyond her immense Gen Z and millennial appeal, Marf’s vibrant image and signature sun-kissed look naturally complement the product’s rich, chocolate-brown profile. Her positive energy also seamlessly aligns with McDonald’s ‘SUCH A Goooood Morning’ platform, which champions optimism, creativity, and self-expression,” said the spokesperson.

Done in collaboration with music platform and creative agency SUCH HK, media agency OMD HK, and event partner Commercial Radio Productions, the campaign has rolled out in phases for maximum impact. On June 30, McDonald's Hong Kong hosted the "SUCH A Goooood Morning to night music party" at Olympian City, debuting the new Chocolate McGriddles. The event featured Marf alongside 13 emerging artists, including Constance Chan, Kiri T, Amy Lo, ROVER, and The Hertz, as well as seven young directors, reinforcing McDonald's role as a patron of Hong Kong's creative scene.

The event has transformed digital engagement into a live community experience that linked the music IP directly to the product debut, according to the spokesperson. 

McDonald’s has also rolled out a music video featuring Marf, along with high-impact television and digital video spots featuring her to secure immediate, broad-scale awareness.

Following that, a high-impact launch window from 1 to 3 July featured a concentrated three-day commercial push with limited-time all-day breakfast, all-day hash browns, complimentary menu upgrades, and exclusive merchandise drops including McGriddles cushions and cassette players available through the McDonald's App. From 4 July onward, the Chocolate McGriddles remain on the breakfast menu to sustain ongoing excitement.

In the long term, the spokesperson said McDonald's Hong Kong continues to pursue cultural marketing by embedding the "SUCH A Goooood Morning" music platform into everyday life as a modern morning ritual. This approach has turned a commercial tagline into a meaningful part of youth culture. The brand has also rolled out a year-long digital narrative called "Same chorus, different soul," featuring localised music videos and cinematic short films to deepen its cultural presence and build lasting brand equity.

Randy Lai, CEO, McDonald's Hong Kong, said: "The phenomenal success of McGriddles has always been driven by the passion of Hong Kong consumers. As a brand deeply woven into the fabric of this city, we are incredibly proud to pioneer this world-first innovation, developed entirely by our exceptional homegrown team."

“By fusing culinary breakthroughs with our long-term commitment to local youth culture and digital evolution, we are doing more than introducing a new product - we are shaping a modern morning ritual. This campaign reflects our ongoing mission to champion local creativity while delivering next-generation brand experiences that resonate across all generations in Hong Kong,” Lai added.

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