Is McDonald’s Sprite killing people? These memes about the drink say “yes”
The success of the McDonald’s fast-food chain, globally, is attributable to a number of things, including their marketing strategy of investing in advertising & the franchise model. Positioning the brand the way they do has been an important priority for them since the early days. Did you know that in 1967, McDonald’s spent a whopping $2.3 million — almost 1% of its sales — on its first national advertising campaign?
Not only was this unprecedented for a fast-food chain, but it was also only the beginning of a brand’s marketing success. This, however, isn’t the only thing that sets McDonald’s apart from others in the sector. Over the years, McDonald’s has gained media attention for a lot of things, including the labor policies recently.
It increased the wages as it struggled to find staff. Entry-level employees will earn now at least $11 to $17 an hour. Shift managers will earn at least $15 to $20 an hour. It was also interesting to see how McDonald’s was dealing with the pandemic & lockdowns, with home delivery, on-the-go, drive-in formats coming to its rescue.
McDonald’s: Where drinks go to lie
One mystery that we are now addressing is related to actual food being served there: why exactly do the drinks taste different at McDonald’s? Customers have been noticing that Sprite & other sodas taste stronger, sharper, and somehow better than the regular sodas we get off the grocery store shelves.
Some even call the taste crispier, or more electronic. We’ll take the crisp, though we’re not sure what the people who feel the latter are exactly ingesting. What exactly is it that makes a McDonald’s late night cheat-day meal with Sprite taste more forbidden than the bottle of Sprite doing the rounds at a college frat party?
The answers lie in the concentrate & filtration
Here’s the big reveal: McDonald’s uses a very specific filtration & concentration process. For starters, McDonald’s filters its water twice as much as normal. Even though this isn’t the godly-level three-layered filtration of Starbucks, it enhances the quality of water, which in turn enhances the quality of the Sprite. So far, simple logic: better ingredients equal better products.
Next, McDonald’s uses this filtered water & mixes it with the syrup in their machine differently. How exactly is it different, you ask? Well, amp up both the sugar-to-syrup content as well as the carbonation & you have your answer. Their machines use a higher ratio of the syrup concentrate & carbonated water. Result? A more delicious drink, a more flavorful taste, and higher thirst for more soda.
To all of that magic, add the fact that all fountain drinks sold at the fast-food chain are kept chilled at all times. The freshness is unmatched & the carbonation is optimal. There’s a little psychology at play here: the physical sensation of drinking sodas chilled sends your brain the message that you’re rehydrating. No wonder that drinking chilled sodas quenches your thirst more than room temperature liquids.
The meme-lords have spoken
mcdonald’s sprite be like pic.twitter.com/o7VPYnxkg4
— Gisselle⁷ ❆ 🧈 (@bangtan0tsev) May 17, 2021
Do you want to feel the electrocution? Get your hands on a Sprite from McDonald’s.
WHEN YOU DRINK THE MCDONALD'S SPRITE 💀💀💀 pic.twitter.com/IYHRgjXYK9
— Bobbathan ඬ (@HomuraEnjoyer) May 18, 2021
No one can resist the biting effect of the Sprite drink on your tastebuds.
5 hours out in the sun and I’m crispier than a McDonald’s sprite
— Elizabeth (@bisthree) May 18, 2021
The crispness of the Sprite drink is a measurement scale for how baked you get in the sun. Gross, but we understand the sentiment.
me after that long sip of McDonald's sprite pic.twitter.com/YINIsjck2u
— ♱cobrak (@gtajawn) May 16, 2021
You cannot not have an extreme reaction to this sugary, highly-carbonated concoction. We don’t blame you.
Since McDonald's Sprite is trending…. pic.twitter.com/mRCDwsJKI0
— sira (@sirAnthropocene) May 16, 2021
Not even the scariest of animals are spared the buzz.
