Grimace is The Mets’ New Hero

The New York Mets are on a winning streak. And apparently, it’s not because of the players.

While most sports teams have a lucky shirt or socks, The Mets' lucky charm is soft, purple and has the ultimate dad bod. If you grew up in the 90s you will already know who I’m talking about.

That’s right.

None other than the second tier McDonald's mascot, Grimace, showed up on June 12th to throw the first pitch before the Mets' game against the Miami Marlins.

And they haven’t lost a single game since.

That’s 7 wins in a row since last Wednesday, thanks to what they’ve now dubbed 'the Grimace effect.' This streak has pulled the team out of a major slump ESPN called an 'ugly start to the season.'

You can’t make this sh*t up.

The marketing stunt has garnered attention from major media outlets such as the New York Post and Forbes. Not to mention the team’s broadcast network, SNY.

Now McDonald’s is playing into the hype, having changed its X avatar to show Grimace in a Mets hat.

What can I say? Crazy things happen when the Grimace gets involved.

Last year, the fuzzy icon became the centre of a viral trend on TikTok, when McDonald's debuted a purple shake in honour of his birthday. Coincidence or not, his birthday is June 12th, the same date that Grimace started this insane winning streak this year.

I can’t tell you what the hell is going on here.

But I can name the people responsible for this bewildering stunt: two Mets employees. Janey Murray, the team's social media manager, and Vito Calise, the team’s podcast producer and host.

The pair have shared a fascination with Grimace since his social media fame last year, and recall texting each other about it at the time. 'We were just really into the concept of this character, and how much fun McDonald’s was having with it,' says Calise.

The Mets have an existing business relationship with McDonald's, who offers promotions when the team scores five runs or more at home. So the two saw this as an opportunity to get Grimace on the field. And it's been a resounding success.

'I’m trying to get fans excited about the team on social media and grow our social media presence. And obviously, this did that,' Murray said.

Such is the power of Grimace.

Not only has he had a (potential) effect on the team's odds, he’s had a very real effect on the team's morale. A few weeks ago, morale was reportedly so low that a (now former) pitcher threw his glove into the stands. The players even held a meeting to vent their frustration.

Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo believes Grimace has made all the difference. 'We need to come out here and have fun … we all grew up with this being a kid’s game, I think it’s a lot of fun adding Grimace to this, so I’m all for it,' he said.

This goes to show the true power of a good marketing stunt (and a beloved cultural icon).

So what can we learn?

• Tap into nostalgia. Using familiar cultural icons in your campaigns can effectively resonate with a broad audience. This is one way to create a strong emotional connection and add a little bit of childhood magic.

• Create viral moments. The Mets leveraged the already-established hype of Grimace's last brush with fame and introducing him during a pivotal moment in the season. This helped the team generate buzz, creating the perfect formula for a viral moment.

Ok, now I need to find a way to book Grimace so I can have some of his positive effects on my life, thank you.

-Sophie, Writer