The former CEO of Taco Bell says McDonald’s new drink menu lacks originality.
Greg Creed, who served as Taco Bell’s chief marketing officer when the chain introduced the popular “Baja Blast” drink over 20 years ago, shared some feedback this week on McDonald’s new menu of “refresher” drinks.
“Any brand could have come up with these flavors,” Creed wrote on LinkedIn. “If I was McDonald’s, I’d be thinking how to make those beverages distinctively McDonald’s in design and name.”
This month, the golden arches announced a new partnership with Red Bull and unveiled the “Dragonberry Energizer,” the company’s first foray into energy drinks.
McDonald’s has expanded its drinks offering and recently revamped the look of its beverage sub-brand, McCafé, as part of a play for a demographic drawn to a more youthful, playful drink experience. The company told analysts on a February earnings call that it sees a more than $100 billion growth opportunity in beverages globally.
Drinks typically carry higher margins than many food offerings and can help drive customer frequency throughout the day, making them an increasingly important growth engine for chains seeking new revenue streams.
Starbucks has seen major success with its caffeinated refreshers, which it says have grown into a $2 billion business and are now its second-best-selling beverage platform behind espresso.
The latest drink from McDonald’s, a partnership with Red Bull, will be available in US restaurants starting August 17. The company also announced new vanilla flavor alterations to its existing Coke drinks.
In his LinkedIn post, Creed said the McDonald’s rollout pales in comparison to Taco Bell’s famously bright blue Baja Blast drink, which first launched in 2004. He said that the Baja Blast was distinctly “Taco Bell” because its flavor, color, and name are all associated with Mexico. That is what made it successful, he said.
“Any brand could have come up with these flavors, and I think that Red Bull and Coke have gotten the better of the deal,” Creed said of the new McDonald’s lineup.
In an April press release announcing its new “refreshers,” the company said it took the time to get it right.
“Only McDonald’s can bring that kind of experience to life consistently across nearly 14,000 restaurants, every single day,” Alyssa Buetikofer, the company’s chief marketing and customer experience officer, said in the release.
McDonald’s did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider about Creed’s analysis.
