A pioneer in celebrity-branded meals, McDonald’s is adding a dash of romance and a hip-hop power couple to its long line of menu collaborations, timed to coincide with Valentine’s Day. And the chain has picked advertising’s splashiest showcase for a national debut.
Musical artists and well-known baes Cardi B and Offset star in the chain’s sweetheart-themed ad, which aired in the pregame period of Super Bowl 57 on Fox. It will mark the first dual-celebrity meal at the fast food giant, based on the consumer insight that “no matter what’s in your order, it always tastes better when enjoyed with a special someone,” per the brand.
Seven other couples appear in the 30-second commercial, all reciting their partners’ typical McDonald’s orders (and fry-snatching habits).
“He likes a quarter-pounder and a Hi-C,” Cardi B says of Offset. “He a simple man.” Offset, meantime, admits in the video that he doesn’t mind if Cardi picks off his tray: “What’s mine is hers. Ain’t no stealing.”
The campaign, called “Knowing Their Order,” will span other media outside the Big Game broadcast on Sunday, including a kiss cam and kissing booth in New York’s Times Square. The brand is buying space on dating apps such as Tinder, BLK and Chispa, and will feature the work on its own app via a Truth or Dare game for pickup and delivery.
Details of the Cardi B and Offset-backed meal won’t be revealed until Feb. 14, when the combo goes on sale at restaurants across the country. A second TV spot is scheduled for the official rollout.
Word had leaked a few months ago about “Knowing Their Order” via a vague TMZ post that said the commercial was filmed around the holidays with a skeleton crew.
The premiere of “Knowing Their Order” is a return of sorts to an event that has particular significance for Cardi B and Offset. By attending Super Bowl 2017 together, and giving the paparazzi some prime shots, they let the world in on their budding relationship, which has been tabloid fodder for its ups and downs ever since.
And Cardi B is no stranger to the marketing bonanza of the Big Game itself, having starred with Lil Jon and Steve Carell in a memorable Pepsi spot in 2019. And she reappeared with beloved metalheads Wayne and Garth (Mike Myers and Dana Carvey) in the first Super Bowl ad from Uber Eats in 2021.
In recent years, McDonald’s has seen sales and engagement spike with its Famous Orders from partners such as Travis Scott, J Balvin, Mariah Carey and the groundbreaker himself, NBA legend Michael Jordan.
