The transaction reportedly brought around $20 million for Scott and increased McDonald’s sales.
When the Travis Scott meal at McDonald’s debuted in September, it was an actual hit. It consisted of a quarter-pounder with bacon, fries with barbecue sauce, and a medium Sprite. Ordering one became so popular on TikTok that McDonald’s trained employees to identify viral phrases and the words to Scott’s “Sicko Mode” while handling drive-thru orders. Scott was named a “brand whisperer” by Forbes when he made it to the magazine’s 30 under 30 list. He also acknowledged that he received $20 million from the McDonald’s contract, which consisted of $15 million in apparel sales and $5 million from the original endorsement. Indeed, the pillow made of chicken nuggets was quite tasty.
After McDonald’s, which had been losing money due to the pandemic, read Scott’s Instagram post about dining at McDonald’s, they contacted him and it appears that Scott was actively involved in the arrangement. In addition to creating his own products, naming the dish—which he has been getting since he was a child—and creating the catchphrase “Tell them Cactus Jack sent you,” Scott also designed animation for the TV commercial. With a significant contribution from Scott, the restaurant company’s U.S. same-store sales, which are a crucial gauge of its health, improved from an 8.7% decline in the second quarter—during the height of virus lockdowns—to a 4.6% gain in the third quarter, according to Forbes.