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

• A McDonald’s social media director has denied rumors the company planted the “Grimace Shake” trend.
• Guillaume Huin says it was “all from the fans” and he initially hesitated to have McDonald’s join in.
• The TikTok trend saw users faking injury or even death after drinking the limited-edition milkshake.

The viral “Grimace Shake” TikTok trend generated massive interest in the limited-edition Grimace Birthday Meal at McDonald’s. Convenient as that was for the company, it wasn’t a plant, a social media director at the fast food giant says.

Guillaume Huin, the social media director for brand content and engagement at McDonald’s US, took to LinkedIn on Thursday to offer an “insider view” at how the company handled the explosive trend.