Who doesn’t like to mix things up every once in a while? It can be easy to blend things together to see how well it will go, but is that final product worth the effort and time? The answer will vary from person to person and be dependent on what is being mixed, but I personally think it is a fun and harmless idea most of the time. Some businesses seem to agree with that notion.
The simplest example that anyone is capable of doing this would be to mix food together to create something potentially great, but companies can mix even larger components like brands and celebrities in order to make something that will grab major attention. McDonald’s has been doing this recently by collaborating with major celebrities and artists like Travis Scott and BTS to promote special versions of meals on the menu in order to drum up more business.
Their newest hit is a recent collaboration with Cactus Plant Flea Market, an artist owned brand, to create a new adult happy meal. The meal does include a designer toy based on an altered look for some old McDonald’s mascots, but it can only be ordered as a nugget or Big Mac meal with little alterations available. This unexpected crossover has been selling out consistently so perhaps it will lead to similar meals with other artists or companies in the future.
Aside from food, crossovers can be seen in all forms of media whether it is two artists collaborating on an album or two brands coming together to create a special experience that fans may have been clamoring for. They can also happen internally within a single brand which is something that Marvel does constantly for its shows, movies and games.
I think collaborations have more good to offer than they do bad since the outcome tends to be something interesting and unique like the adult happy meals currently available. It would be nice to see what other companies can come up with to either copy or expand on this offering.