--- title: Fast-food celebrity collaborations, explained - The Hustle description: Celeb collabs are a great way for fast-food chains to drive app downloads and appeal to Gen-Z. image: https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1799751178-News-Brief_2021-12-10T021724.682Z.webp --- # Fast-food celebrity collaborations, explained ![Trung T. Phan](https://thehustle.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Image-from-iOS-300x300.jpg?width=48&height=48&name=Image-from-iOS-300x300.jpg) [Trung T. Phan](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/trung-t-phan) [Trung T. Phan Twitter profile ](https://twitter.com/TrungTPhan) Published: December 10, 2021 Updated: October 11, 2023 *All Canadian (Source: NYT / Tim Hortons)* ![Fast-food celebrity collaborations, explained](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1799751178-News-Brief_2021-12-10T021724.682Z.webp?width=595&height=400&name=1799751178-News-Brief_2021-12-10T021724.682Z.webp) Canadians — like me (Trung) — rejoice. The country’s top coffee chain (Tim Hortons) collaborated with one of its top pop artists (Justin Bieber) on a product. It’s a donut hole, called Timbiebs. #### **This isn’t the only celebrity collab…** … you’ll be seeing this winter. According to [*The New York Times*](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/08/style/celebrity-fast-food-partnerships.html), fast-food chains are falling over themselves to score the fame halo: - **McDonald’s **partnered with Mariah Carey on “12 days of Christmas deals,” including Big Macs and cookies - **Dunkin’ **teamed up with TikTok megastar Charli D’Amelio on her favorite cold brew - **Popeyes **launched a “hottie” hot sauce with hip-hop artist Meg Thee Stallion Celebs have lended corporate endorsements for ages… #### **… but there’s a modern twist** One of the key outcomes of fast-food collabs is to drive app downloads. Since teaming up with celebs on meal campaigns in September 2020 — including BTS and Travis Scott — McDonald’s has brought in **10m+** app users. Apps double as loyalty programs and are — very obviously — popular among the younger generation. Unsurprisingly, the collaborations often end up as viral hits on Gen-Z hangouts like Instagram and TikTok. Critics say that celebs are using their fame to push unhealthy foods. While it’s a valid charge, the almond-crusted bnmn m n `jm chocolate Timbieb I’m eating right now is pretty good. 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