Locked-In on McDonald's doppleganger

In this week's edition:

Breaking down the allure of McDonald’s plant-based dopplegangers’ content strategy.

A Master Class in Marketing Content

Mr. Charlie’s is a master class on how to build a marketing content machine. In this week’s edition we are taking a detour to the plant-based nirvana in a mini food chain called Mr. Charlie’s.

The Golden Frowny Face Has Arrived

Suppose you are in San Francisco, L.A., or Venice, California (Sydney, AU is on the way). In that case, you have the ultimate opportunity to try what I can best describe as the “anti-hero” to American-style fast food. Think burgers, chicken nuggets, and french fries. They only sell plant-based sustainably driven food. From their restaurant decor to the menu, you will be reminded of the granddaddy of American fast food whose familiar golden arches grace the worldscape. But the similarities stop there as in this world the golden arches are upside down in the form of a frowny face. Their logo is a red and yellow sad face with the tagline “Turn That Frown Upside Down, Because Mr. Charlie’s Told Me So”.

The Sauce

The star of McDonald’s is arguably its french fries. Mr.Charlie’s has great fries and food too. I am not even vegan and I seek them out whenever I am in the Bay Area. The real star of Mr. Charlie’s goes beyond the food and is rooted in their outside-the-mode business principles and ethos. They focus on saving the planet first sustainability and a community-first mindset by seeking out and hiring people who might otherwise get overlooked elsewhere.

The Fuel

The fuel that drives Mr. Charlie’s ethos and principles is their fastidious adherence to the four principles of creating great content (actionable, interesting, entertaining, and easy to consume). Let’s take a closer look at each below:

Actionable content

Mr. Charlie’s content is actionable because it gives readers clear and concise steps they can take to learn more about and try their products. For example, they feature norm-busting promos like “Not a Chick Sandwich Wednesday” and “$.99 Not a Hamburger Monday”. To announce a new store opening in San Francisco, they simply posted to IG, the coordinates in white on their signature background (37.7749 n 122.419 w) flanked above by the yellow “Mr. Charlie’s” and below by a yellow frowny face.

Interesting content

Mr. Charlie’s content is interesting because it covers a variety of topics related to their impact on the community from sustainability to their employees. They recently posted on their Instagram about a young entrepreneur who is blind named Greyson. They did not even mention he had any limitations or was blind. Instead, they shared how “limitless” he was and that they were going to be selling his lemonade in stores. In addition, they announced all proceeds to “benefit this superstar, and the vibration will benefit you”. Imagine a fast food joint using “vibration” as a benefit in this context. That's simply dope.

Entertaining content

Mr. Charlie’s content is entertaining because it is light, humorous, and engaging. They leverage brand consistency in bright colors and eye-catching visuals in their social media posts and blog articles. They also write in a conversational tone that makes their content feel relatable and accessible. And it is only fitting their Big Mac killer sandwich is called the "The Big Chuck".

Easy-to-consume content

Mr. Charlie’s content is easy to consume because it is well-written and well-organized with a heavy dose of authenticity. They know their customer base. For example, they did a collaboration with Vandy the Pink and The Hundreds two top influencer brands as part of L.A.’s Family Style Food Fest, a “celebration of the intersection of cuisine and fashion”. It also does not hurt that their IG posts and TikTok videos are very visually appealing and fun to look at and watch.

Mr. Charlie’s has to be the only business I can think of that has a sad face logo and somehow still conveys happiness all over. People get it immediately as the frown is the antithesis of the venerable happy meal, but in this case, the enterprise embodies happiness and the frown is the bait to get you to take that second glance leading on the path to purchase.

#MrCharlies #Mcdonalds #Vegan #plantbased #sustainability #contentmarketing