In May 1996, McDonald’s introduced the Arch Deluxe, a premium-priced quarter-pound burger aimed at adults. Launch came with a reported $100-million marketing blitz and thousands of coupons offering the burger free.
By July, McDonald’s said it had sold 100 million Arch Deluxes in two months, but wouldn’t say how many were free or discounted. Domestic sales growth for the quarter was 3%, compared with 9% a year earlier; the company credited restaurant expansion and overseas growth for much of its overall performance. The campaign had made people try the grown-up burger. Whether they came back for it was still an open question.
Sources: Los Angeles Times, “Patty Stakes: McDonald’s Going After Adult Market as Sales Cool”; Los Angeles Times, “McDonald’s Income Flat Despite Arch Deluxe Blitz”; Eater, “Why Was McDonald’s Arch Deluxe Burger a Marketing Failure?”.
Image: Ramon FVelasquez / Wikimedia Commons. Standard McDonald’s cheeseburger shown, not an Arch Deluxe; CC0.