McDonald’s releases new “Yakki” burger based on a popular Japanese meal

There’s even a scent-filled 4-D promotional movie being screened to coincide with the new burger’s release.

McDonald’s Japan is known for its amazing marketing promotions, which include everything from golden chicken nugget giveaways to interactive Twitter campaigns that reveal customers’ character types just from the way they drizzle pumpkin sauce on their Halloween fries.

The fast food giant is now dazzling customers in Japan once again, this time with a new addition to their “affordable burger” range, which currently consists of a Chicken Cheeseburger, dubbed the “Chiki-Chee” and an Egg Cheeseburger called the “Eggu-Chee“.

Now joining the 200-yen (US$1.77) affordable burger range is the “Shoga-Yaki Burger“, which takes its inspiration from “Shoga-yaki“, a popular fried pork and ginger dish that’s usually made in Japanese homes.

The new nickname for the burger, “Yakki”, is not to be confused with the similar-sounding “yucky”, as it’s said to be a delicious combination of juicy grilled pork patty, and ginger and soy-flavoured Japanese sauce. The addition of lettuce and sliced onion provides a refreshing element to the otherwise rich and flavourful burger.

To make sure nobody misses the new burger announcement, McDonald’s has also unveiled a promotional event designed to stimulate all five senses, with the announcement of Yakki The Movie, which is being billed as “the world’s first-ever 4-D Hamburger Movie“. Screening on 21 February, the day before the burger’s official release, the five-minute movie can be viewed at Toho Cinemas at Tokyo’s Roppongi Hills at 5:00 p.m., 5:20 p.m. and 5:40 p.m. Tickets will be given away for free at the entrance to the cinemas from 4:00 p.m. and will be limited to 100 people per screening.

The film is set in space, and will incorporate special 4-D effects like motion, 3-D images and scent in order to introduce the new burger to viewers. McDonald’s released this short trailer recently to give viewers a taste of what to expect at the screening.

The one sense the movie won’t be able to stimulate is the sense of taste, but McDonald’s has sought to rectify this by providing moviegoers with a free voucher for the new Yakki burger after each screening. They’ve thought of everything to nab the attention of customers with this new campaign, and the clever marketing event promotes not only the new burger, but also the 4-D film and cinema experience too.

If you’re not able to make it to the event at Roppongi Hills on 21 February, the burger will be available to purchase for 200 yen, or as part of a value set for 500 yen, at McDonald’s outlets around the country from 22 February.

Source, images: McDonald’s Japan

Credit: