Brands are targeting adults with collectibles and giveaways.
Recently, we’ve seen restaurants offering toys and other tangible brand-building collectibles as incentives to drive traffic and excitement with adult guests. This emerging trend has been seen in meal combos, drink promotions and promotional product giveaways that are driving social media buzz, traffic and sales for the restaurant industry.
McDonald’s has led the charge. They offered a Cactus Plant Flea Market Box in 2022, garnering Gen Z credibility with the edgy fashion license. The meal was styled as an “Adult Happy Meal,” including a special box and a toy. It reportedly drove a 37% YOY increase in traffic the week it launched. The Kerwin Frost Box launched in 2023 including one of six collectible McNugget Buddies inspired by the American artist, DJ and talk show host. Both meals featured licensed content with strong appeal to Gen Z consumers that drove excitement and media impressions.
We’ve also seen this trend accelerate with the increase of collectible cup programs. Starbucks has seen success in this space for years with Red Cup Day and its limited edition cups. Other brands are now catching onto the trend. Last year saw Raising Cane’s launch of a co-branded collector cup series with music icon Post Malone. The promotion drove enviable traffic as consumers clamored to collect the whole series.
And it’s not just cups that adult consumers want to collect. Dutch Bros has a monthly sticker drop featuring a new, design-forward sticker with a new or suggested drink pairing, driving collectors’ return visits. The ongoing collectibility has the added benefit of keeping continuous brand-buzz percolating through social media circles.
Why it works. Collectibles that customers can touch and feel give them a moment of joy, regardless of their age. These special items are a treat, a little something extra to make life more fun and bring a sense of nostalgia for the kids’ meals and toys they grew up with.
It creates a tangible emotional connection. A collectible program has the power to delight guests with physical tokens of your brand. It makes them feel like brand insiders, and that super-charges their fandom.
It differentiates your brand. What makes customers choose you and not another brand? You stand out when you provide a unique experience they can only get from you.
It creates conversation and generates buzz. A collectible program can make your brand newsworthy. Tangible activations are buzz-worthy on social media and through earned media.
C3 can help. At C3, we’ve been creating, manufacturing and distributing collectible products as part of meal programs for over 37 years. We create smart design, leveraging licensing when appropriate, to take
brand-building ideas from conception to the marketplace.
To learn how you can win with this trend contact us at the link below!
CONTACT US
ABOUT C3
C3 is a Kansas City-based marketing and design agency that brings brands to life for families with children through experiences and entertainment. C3 uses insights, strategy and expertise to produce award-winning programs and custom products to help major restaurant, hospitality and service industry partners connect with families wherever they are—in person, at home or in the community at large.
Most successful brands give back to their community and to causes that are important to them, but how often do their customers know about
Read more
This is the fourth edition of our How To Be Kid-Friendly infographic series.Click here to download as a PDF. Check out the Fast Casual
Read more
Today’s kids are part of the generation known as Gen Alpha. Born between 2011 and 2025 (give or take a year or two, depending
Read more
Generations are fascinating: the way they’re defined and talked about and the way they influence each other. But the fact is, the concept of
Read more
There’s a trend in the marketplace of brands targeting their young adult customers with innovative, collectible promotions, such as collectible figures, cups, stickers and
Read more
Check out these industry articles and reports to see what we've been up to lately. We’re experts on families with children, so we’re always
Read more
Restaurant meals are time-honored opportunities for families to bond, enjoy family time and forge new family traditions. Whether in-restaurant, at home, or on-the-go, and
Read more
Brands are always looking for new ways to drive traffic, incentivize loyalty and increase brand love with their target consumers. One innovative tactic for
Read more
Families are a valuable market for convenience stores, especially for retailers looking to grow their foodservice business. We at C3 know that one of
Read more
The third edition of our How To Be Kid-Friendly infographic series. Download as a PDF and check out the QSR edition here or CDR edition here.
Read more
At C3, we lead with data and insights. One of our favorite data sources is Circana (formerly NPD Group), which provides us with regular
Read more
It comes as no surprise that fast casual restaurants are a growing segment of the restaurant industry. According to NPD Group/CREST®, while overall restaurant
Read more
Every day, we at C3 design, safety-test, produce and deliver engaging entertainment solutions for our clients’ family customers. Once in a while, we step
Read more
In February of 2022, C3 was proud to host a webinar in partnership with Nation’s Restaurant News’ CREATE the future of foodservice series entitled
Read more
Grow sales and delight families with brand-tailored off-premises solutions Take-away is here to stay. As we know all too well, recent years have turned
Read more
You know how great pizza is for families, but what about how valuable families are for pizza? Our latest research has confirmed what many
Read more
C3 has always been a strong advocate for giving back. It’s a part of our company’s DNA! We’ve seen the impact this kind of
Read more
From the C3 dictionary: Kids’ Cup, Noun A perfectly kid-sized drinking vessel used by casual dining, fast casual and QSR brands to make families
Read more
Spring has sprung, COVID-19 vaccinations are rolling out across the U.S., and C3 has the latest insights from families on indoor dining. During the
Read more
Crayons are a perfect symbol of the joys of childhood: creating, playing, learning. They’re classic; they’re inexpensive ... They are timeless. As basic as
Read more
There’s no question that off-premises dining has become an essential part of people's lives. During the pandemic, it was a necessity. After the pandemic,
Read more
One of the many things that’s been upended in 2020 is how families experience casual dining and fast casual restaurants. With the shift towards
Read more
Download as a PDF. The Art + Science of Kid + Family Marketing Get the latest kids and families insights delivered directly to your
Read more
UPDATED APRIL 2022 Part 2 of our 2-part infographic series. Download as a PDF or check out part 1, the Fast Food Edition here.
Read more
UPDATED APRIL 2022 Part 1 of our 2-part infographic series. Download as a PDF or check out part 2, the Casual Dining edition here.
Read more
Why isn’t it over yet? When can things go back to how they used to be? Like a kid kicking their feet in the
Read more
We know kids. What they like, how they spend their time… and their favorite places to eat. We know that when families go out,
Read more
There’s something beautiful about human nature in the face of adversity, seeing people rally behind causes that appeal to the good in all of
Read more
C3 Brand Marketing launches kids’ meal entertainment program, prioritizing family-owned restaurants. Independent restaurant owners can now elevate the family customer experience with tailored, kids’
Read more
