When McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski took a small bite out of a big burger on camera, the internet—and his rivals—pounced. But in an era where CEOs are the face of the brand, is there such a thing as bad publicity? In this episode of Bold Names, WSJ’s Tim Higgins sits down with Kempczinski at McDonald&#x27;s Chicago headquarters to discuss the fallout of his viral moment. Plus, they dive deep into the fast food giant’s strategy to compete by balancing a premium half-pound burger against the urgent need for meal deals in an economy where many customers are concerned with affordability. To watch the video version of this episode, visit our WSJ Podcasts YouTube channel or the video page of WSJ.com. Check Out Past Episodes: Roses, Revenue, and Retention: Hinge’s Strategy for a $1 Billion Year Southwest’s $1 Billion Pivot: CEO Bob Jordan on Bag Fees And Other Changes The Five Step “Algorithm” Driving Tesla’s Success How Athletic Brewing Sells Beer for a Post-Alcohol Generation Let us know what you think of the show. Email us at BoldNames@wsj.com. Sign up for the WSJ&#x27;s free Technology newsletter. Read Tim Higgins’s column. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

McDonald's CEO on Going Viral, the Big Arch and the Fast-Food Value War

Bold Names

# Full Transcript

**Podcast:** Bold Names

## Transcript

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[SPEAKER_B] It's a little weird to watch each other eat.

[SPEAKER_C] Yeah, well, imagine how I felt.

[SPEAKER_B] Seemed like a simple assignment.

[SPEAKER_C] Yeah, seemed like it.

[SPEAKER_B] This week on Bold Names, we're talking to Chris Kempczinski. He's the CEO of McDonald's. You probably recognize him because he just went viral trying to promote the company's new burger.

[SPEAKER_C] You've heard about it. Here it is, the Big Arch.

[SPEAKER_B] At half a pound of meat, it's a big one.

[SPEAKER_C] All right, the moment of truth.

[SPEAKER_B] Chris took what looked like a tiny nibble, and his rivals pounced. Burger King made a video of its president taking a huge bite out of the Whopper.

[SPEAKER_C] Only one thing missing, a napkin.

[SPEAKER_B] And Wendy's got in on it too.

[SPEAKER_C] That's a burger.

[SPEAKER_B] So I went to McDonald's headquarters in Chicago to talk with Chris about being the company's face in the social media era and what McDonald's is cooking up next. From The Wall Street Journal, I'm Tim Higgins. This is Bold Names, where you'll hear from the leaders of the bold name companies featured in The Wall Street Journal. Today we ask, what's the value of a viral social media moment? And can McDonald's meet it? Chris, so great. Thanks for joining us.

[SPEAKER_C] Yeah. Welcome to McDonald's.

[SPEAKER_B] It's great to be here. How did you realize that you went viral?

[SPEAKER_C] It's a weird thing for sure. You know, so the video had been out for about, I don't know, 3 or 4 weeks, something like that. And I got a call from one of my kids and they said, Dad, you've gone viral and not in a good way. And so that's when I knew, like, okay, something's going on. And then, yeah, I started getting texts and emails and calls from friends and people from all walks of life that knew me. And invariably they were all like, hey, have you seen this? And it's like, by the thousandth time, yeah, I've seen it. So yeah, that was kind of a weird moment.

[SPEAKER_B] What do you think of the reaction?

[SPEAKER_C] When you go onto social media in general, you have to have a thick skin because there's going to be lovers and there's going to be haters. But ultimately, for me, what I thought we did a really nice job on is once the internet grabs hold of something, lean into it. And we did that. Our team did a nice job of that. And we were able to, I think, engage with our fans. And ultimately, that's what w...

McDonald's CEO on Going Viral, the Big Arch and the Fast-Food Value War

Transcript

Built for investment professionals

Every day you wait, your competitors are finding
edge in conversations you're not hearing.

McDonald's CEO on Going Viral, the Big Arch and the Fast-Food Value War

Transcript

Built for investment professionals

Every day you wait, your competitors are findingedge in conversations you're not hearing.

Every day you wait, your competitors are finding
edge in conversations you're not hearing.