McDonald's Japan launches May 20 items

McDonald’s Japan said on May 14 it will begin selling five limited-time “Gotochi McDo” items nationwide on May 20, expanding its region-themed menu with burgers, a breakfast sandwich and seasoned fries. The company announced the lineup in a news release and tied the campaign to a new television commercial featuring comedian Seiya of the duo Shimofuri Myojo. The ad starts airing on May 19, one day before the products reach stores, according to the company. McDonald’s also said it will bring back larger-size drinks and fries, along with its “Grand Set” upgrade option, during the promotion. ### Which items are going on sale on May 20? McDonald’s Japan said the five new items are “Hokkaido Jaga Cheese Teriyaki,” “Nagoya Tebasaki-fu Kurokosho Juicy Chicken,” “Hakata Menta Butter Teriyaki,” “Hokkaido Jaga Cheese Teriyaki Muffin” for breakfast hours, and “Shaka Shaka Potato Kanazawa Meibutsu Kuro Curry Aji.” The company said the products are designed around well-known regional flavors from Hokkaido, Nagoya, Hakata and Kanazawa. The company said the three burgers will be sold from 10:30 a.m. until close, or until 4:59 a.m. at 24-hour locations, while the breakfast muffin will be sold from opening until 10:30 a.m. The fries seasoning will be available as a 50-yen add-on to fries or value sets, according to the release. ### How much will the new menu items cost? McDonald’s Japan listed starting standalone prices of 490 yen for each of the three burgers and 410 yen for the breakfast muffin. (mcdonalds.co.jp) The company listed value-set starting prices of 790 yen for the burgers and 610 yen for the muffin, with a breakfast combo from 470 yen. The company said prices may vary by store location and delivery orders. (mcdonalds.co.jp) The release also said the campaign is scheduled to run until mid-June. ### Why is Seiya part of the campaign? Seiya appears in the new commercial as a “Saint Seiya” character, McDonald’s Japan said, wearing armor and singing a parody of “Pegasus Fantasy,” the original opening theme from the anime series “Saint Seiya.” The company said the ad includes the line “Gotochi McDo ni Seiya!” and will air nationwide from May 19, excluding some areas. (mcdonalds.co.jp) The May 14 release said the four burger products will also be sold in limited-quantity packaging featuring “Saint Seiya” characters. McDonald’s described the collaboration as a tie-in meant to bring the anime’s world into the promotion. ### What else is returning with the promotion? McDonald’s Japan said “Grand Coke” and “Grand Fries” will return during the campaign. (mcdonalds.co.jp) The company said “Grand Coke” contains about twice the volume of a medium-size Coca-Cola, while “Grand Fries” are about 1.7 times the size of medium fries. The company also said customers can upgrade a regular value set to a “Grand Set” for an additional 200 yen. (mcdonalds.co.jp) The drink-only or fries-only grand-size upgrades cost an additional 100 yen, according to the release. ### Is there a social media campaign tied to the launch? McDonald’s Japan said it will run an X reply campaign on May 20 from 7:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. under the hashtag “#いざご当地マックにせっせっせいや.” The campaign page says users can enter by following the official @McDonaldsJapan account and replying to the designated post with the hashtag. (mcdonalds.co.jp) The company’s next dated milestone is May 19, when the new Seiya commercial is scheduled to begin airing, followed by the May 20 product launch at McDonald’s stores across Japan and the one-day X campaign tied to the release. (mcdonalds.co.jp 1) (mcdonalds.co.jp 2)