Ask someone what they associate with McDonald’s, and you’ll likely hear “burgers,” “fries,” or maybe even “McFlurry.” But few would think of vinyl records. Yet in 1988, the fast-food giant launched one of its most unexpected marketing campaigns ever: distributing tens of millions of records featuring the now-legendary “Menu Song.”
Created as a nationwide promotional stunt, McDonald’s attached special flexi-disc records—thin, flexible vinyl-coated paper discs—to mass-mailed advertising flyers. Each disc contained a single, fast-paced track: a musical rundown of the McDonald’s menu, rhythmically spoken over a funky R&B groove, with enthusiastic lines about the brand’s tastiness sprinkled in.
Here’s where it got interesting: while most versions of the record featured a chorus that eventually stumbled over the high-speed lyrics and gave up, a select few actually completed the song flawlessly. These rare discs included a message revealing the listener had won $1 million—a staggering prize at the time, equivalent to about $2.7 million today. Smaller prizes were also available via the mail insert, adding to the campaign’s appeal. Ultimately, only one grand prize winner emerged: a teenager from Virginia, whose windfall was short-lived. Ironically, he would later end up working at a McDonald’s restaurant.
The campaign was monumental in scale. With over 80 million flexi-discs produced, it became the most widely distributed record of the year—surpassing even Michael Jackson’s Thriller by more than 10 million copies. But did it work? It’s hard to say. Unlike the later Monopoly game—which drove sales by linking prizes to purchases—the Menu Song record was a passive form of advertising. Still, it generated buzz, curiosity, and certainly got people listening.
McDonald’s wasn’t alone in tapping into the flexi-disc craze. Brands like Quaker Oats and Burger King also used the format for promotions, and the late ’80s saw a trend of novelty records in cereal boxes and kids’ meals. Though the “Menu Song” didn’t achieve the staying power of jingles like “I’m Lovin’ It,” its kitschy charm has endured as a nostalgic gem. In fact, McDonald’s Canada revived the track in 2024, sparking fresh interest. Today, copies of the original flexi-disc can still be found on eBay, with collectors willing to pay $10 to $40 for a slice of fast-food history.
In the end, McDonald’s Menu Song campaign remains a quirky footnote in advertising history—part contest, part music, and entirely unexpected.
