Dive Brief:

• McDonald’s teamed up with rapper and producer Tisakorean to create an original beat celebrating the Sprite dispensed by the chain’s fountain machines, per a company release.

• “Static,” which dropped Aug. 30 on Instagram and TikTok, is meant to reflect what over a thousand consumers on social media say McDonald’s Sprite tastes like — static. The artist uses the sound as inspiration, and layers it with a hip-hop beat.

• McDonald’s is also encouraging consumers to tag #McDonaldsStaticSprite on social media and share their own take on “Static.” The move represents a growing effort by brands to cultivate a social media presence by engaging in viral trends and partnering with content creators.

Dive Insight: 

McDonald’s playful nod to the perceptions of the Sprite served at its locations may seem spontaneous, but the Coca-Cola-owned beverage that comes out of the chain’s fountain machines has long been thought to taste different than “normal” Sprite, with over a thousand users on social media comparing the flavor to the presumed taste of static.

The fast-food chain has previously played into the hype with humorous social media responses, once suggesting that McDonald’s Sprite could have been responsible for the extinction of dinosaurs and even claiming itself that the beverage is comparable to static in a tweet that gathered over 18,000 likes. Creating a beat that can be used on Instagram and TikTok could further bolster the trend and help the chain build awareness with Gen Z and millennials. 

Tisakorean, who has over 500,000 followers on Byte-Dance owned TikTok, crafted the tune using a static sound, a hip-hop beat and the hook, “Can I take a sip?” 

There’s also a “Making of the Beat” video made in collaboration with hip-hop director Carmelo Varela to show Tisakorean’s creative process. Partnering with creators is a growing trend for brands looking to make an entry to niche audiences and gain a stronger online following — earlier this year, McDonald’s became the first major sponsor of Offline TV, a collective of gaming-focused content creators. Collaborating with a popular music creator could help the chain identify a new potential market, and encouraging others to use the sound opens the door to valuable consumer data.

Others have taken to similar tactics as a means to attract a younger audience. Earlier this month, American Eagle partnered with musician and influencer Katherine Li, who tweaked one of her songs to serve as the brand's back-to-school anthem on TikTok. Applebee’s in July launched a campaign tied to National Wing Day that was tied with a music video, “Taste My Face,” that also lived as a sound on the platform.