McDonald’s social chief: We didn’t plant ‘Grimace Shake’ TikTok trend — and we weren’t sure we should jump on it

McDonald’s denies planting the viral “Grimace Shake” TikTok trend, which involved users faking injury or death after drinking the limited-edition Grimace Birthday Meal milkshake. Guillaume Huin, McDonald’s U.S. social media director, stated that the trend was “all from the fans” and the initial spark came from a TikTok user named Austin Frazier. The trend generated billions of views, millions of mentions, and millions of engagements online, becoming a top trend on Twitter, TikTok, and Snapchat, although its impact on sales is unclear.