From Harlem Shake to Grimace Shake: Brand Moments are Culture
Welcome to Friday, futurists.
This week we launched our annual trends report, VISIONS: Volume IV. The central themes in the report are at the center of a commerce-centric TikTok trend that encapsulates the intersection of culture and commerce.
The Grimace Shake is part of a $14+ meal (depending on the market) at participating McDonald’s franchises, commemorating the 52nd birthday of the anthropomorphic fungal chicken nugget.
“People want to take part in moments — to raise their hand to participate,” says Matt Klein, a contributor to this year’s VISIONS. “The evolution and aesthetics of media formats and participation in the culture mean that customers seize upon brand moments to create content.”
And seize upon the brand they have.
In the trend, a hapless individual sips a Grimace Shake, and a jump cut cuts to a gruesome crime scene, where the consumer is the victim of a violent death. TikTok creator Alyssa Granno was at the forefront of the trend. Her entry in the genre features her descent into mania as she consumes three shakes (approximately $51 in meals).
There are layers at work here.
To understand the TikTok trend requires transmedia literacy: found footage, A24 horror, true crime, and Arrested Development.
- Many works contain the theme song Reborn from the Hereditary soundtrack. Hereditary (2018) is an A24 production directed by Ari Aster.
- The callback to the Harlem Shake jumpcut is part of an evolving style that is easy to execute. Social video platforms provide the ability to pause and resume in their camera app. This makes the meme accessible, and universal.
- A recurring gag in the trend is the cameraperson appearing with purple paint covering their face or hands, calling back to Tobias Funke “blueing” himself in the hit series Arrested Development.
The Takeaway: Brands used to seize upon moments to participate in culture. Today, culture seizes upon brands to create moments that shape how we perceive a brand.
This is The Multiplayer Brand at work — consumers are faceting the voice and marketing of a brand through the lens of their experience. To engage in the Grimace trend is to engage in commerce; and though it fattens McDonald’s wallet, their brand perception is now in the hands of the wisdom of the crowd.
Read more about The Multiplayer Brand in this year’s VISIONS: Volume IV trends report by Future Commerce. Or pre-order our new 100-page zine on the subject, entitled The Multiplayer Brand: The future of commerce, participatory economies, and the age of critique.
— Phillip
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