McDonald's opens a chain of brand CosMac's that serves coffee and beverages. Cosmax is McDonald's second brand and is a drive-thru-only store that sells drinks and snacks perfect for afternoon consumption.
We launched a second brand with a new impression in order to break away from the ‘burger’ that was engraved in customers’ minds and target new markets. Many media outlets interpret this as a challenge to Starbucks and Dunkin'.
Unlike McCafe, which has a strong McDonald's brand identity, Cosmax emphasized the retro wordmark and colors. At Cosmax, you can enjoy not only a light coffee menu, but also unique and intense drinks such as Tropical Spice Ade and Sour Cherry Energy Burst.
McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski said the goal was to target the beverage market, a $100 billion market, by providing customized drinks that were difficult to make in McDonald's restaurants.
The new brand's name comes from a mascot used in advertising in the 80s and 90s. This is Carrier, who was an alien, a surfer, and a robot. Emphasis on retro design. Cosmack has six arms and came to Earth after discovering McDonald's burgers and fries.
It seems that the same strategy has been applied to the new brand, thanks to the trend of the Grimace character used by McDonald's in past advertisements on social media such as TikTok. I think I find great appeal in the strangely awkward appearance of old characters.
The logo uses a dark blue background with yellow accents. The golden arches that symbolize McDonald's were tilted halfway. There are no significant elements that identify McDonald's, so the McDonald's logo appears on the building. It gives the impression that the psychedelic font would be used on a space travel package. I'm curious what the slit on the left side of M means.
Will McDonald's be able to conquer the beverage market? This time, Cosmax is particularly focusing on drive-thru and delivery where you can grab a drink without sitting down. There are many complex beverage products that can be enjoyed while traveling long distances. I'm looking forward to seeing what killer drink will emerge to beat Starbucks.
The retro branding also struck me as similar to Dunkin Donuts' recent rebranding. Since Starbucks still maintains a sophisticated image, its direct competition for branding appears to be Dunkin' Donuts. Dunkin Donuts has a stronger image than McDonald's since its name is a donut, so in some ways, Cosmax seems to have an advantage in pioneering the beverage market.
