McDonald’s inescapable jingle “I’m Lovin’ It” never really reveals the actual meaning of “it.” The fries? Big Macs? Or maybe the it refers to legal marijuana.
A new study published on Wednesday sheds new light on the fast-food giant’s slogan. According to “Green Market Report and Consumer Research Around Cannabis,” 43 percent of Americans who bought legal marijuana chose McDonald’s as their go-to place to eat fast food when experiencing the munchies.
The survey found 18 percent of respondents cited Taco Bell as their preferred munchie hotspot and 17.8 percent went to Wendy’s.
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“McDonald’s wins by virtue of the sheer number of locations — by default really,” said Jeff Stein, vice president of Consumer Research Around Cannabis. “Those competitors which better understanding of cannabis users and their consumer habits can certainly close the gap by integrating what they learn through their marketing efforts.”
The online survey recorded the fast food preferences of 27.500 pe0ple and was conducted over several U.S. marketplaces with a base population of 55 million.
Burger King finished fourth with 17.6 percent and Subway was fifth with 8.7 percent.
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Kentucky Fried Chicken hit the list at number six with 5.5 percent going to eat there over the past four weeks. The rest of the top 1o were Arby’s, Chick-Fil-A, Jack-In-The-Box and Carl’s Jr. (in that order).
As the study notes:
As cannabis is known for its appetite inducing side effect, which is one of its most beneficial qualities for those suffering from diseases that hinder appetite or take medication that make it difficult to eat, understanding the spending habits of consumers is critical.
Consumer Research Around Cannabis is a Houston-based research firm that tracks the demographics of the marijuana industry. The Green Market Report, meanwhile, focuses on cannabis financial and economic information.
A Little Mickey D’s Trivia
The “I’m Lovin’ It” ditty was recorded in 2oo3 by Justin Timberlake. and written by rapper Pusha T. Timberlake mace a cool $6 million to sing the jingle. That’s a lot of Big Macs. At 14 years it is the longest-running campaign in McDonald’s 76-year history.
