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Mascot Rick and Morty Brand Strategy

Free Wendy’s fries delivered to Rick and Morty fans as part of Adult Swim Festival

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By John Glenday, Reporter

November 15, 2021 | 3 min read

Animated sci-fi sitcom Rick and Morty has hit the road during the Adult Swim Festival, screened exclusively on its YouTube channel, as part of a takeover of Wendy’s fast-food chain.

Rick & Morty

Rick and Morty hit the road in support of Wendy’s and Adult Swim

The weekend of livestreamed music, comedy and panel discussions saw the premiere of Morty’s Mobile, a vehicle retrofitted with a fibreglass Wendy clinging to the roof in terror to promote the fast-food chain’s Hot & Crispy fries.

The questionable mode of transport gave virtual festival-goers a taste for the wild ride ahead of them in restaurants by going on a joy ride around the Los Angeles metro area, serving up Hot & Crispy fries to Rick and Morty fans wherever they went.

It’s a long shot from the frenzy that surrounded McDonald’s Szechuan sauce after the show cultivated a hunger for the outmoded condiment.

Explaining the rationale behind the cross-promotion, Jimmy Bennett, vice-president of media and social for Wendy’s, said: “Cold and soggy fries suck. It’s as simple as that. We know Rick and Morty fans deserve better, so we sent the Morty’s Mobile to save the day and rescue fans with Wendy’s new Hot & Crispy fries.”

Tricia Melton, chief marketing officer for Warner Bros kids, young adults and classics, added: “Adult Swim and Wendy’s go together like Hot & Crispy, so we took our tasty partnership to the streets of LA and delivered free fries to our fans ahead of the Adult Swim Festival.”

The weekend of video mayhem fired the starting gun on a US-wide promotion that sees users of the Wendy’s app treated to free fries with their purchases until tomorrow.

Katrina Cukaj, executive vice-president of ad sales and client partnerships at WarnerMedia, concluded: “WarnerMedia is constantly collaborating with Wendy’s to tell the next chapter of our journey together in a way that is meaningful and fun for Adult Swim fans across the massive multiverse. For this year’s Adult Swim Festival, that is no exception. We’re stitching together successes from real-life and multi-platform experiences to give Rick and Morty fanatics something to savor ... something that’s Hot & Crispy!”

Now in its fourth year, the Adult Swim Festival has become a lynchpin of the cable network’s content calendar, reaching over 10m views across all content last year.

Earlier in the year a Rick and Morty-themed inflatable drive-through was installed at a Wendy’s restaurant in Los Angeles to give motorists a flavor for some of the bizarre activations arising from the partnership.

Mascot Rick and Morty Brand Strategy

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