McDonald’s – Arch Deluxe

1996-1997

In an attempt to change its image as a restaurant for families with small children, McDonald’s introduced a new hamburger with a more »adult taste.« The company invested $300 million on market research and developing the hamburger. The lavish advertising campaign showed children frowning and disgusted by the hamburger for adults. McDonald’s, however, is better known for low prices than its sophisticated food, and it was difficult to convince customers to pay more for the somewhat more luxurious burger. The Arch Deluxe remains one of the most expensive failures in the fast food industry. 

Additional info:
Wikipedia
Medium – Why didn’t the most expensive campaign save their Arch Deluxe?
Ranker.com – McDonald’s Most Ambitious Failure

The advertising campaign was massive – and many of these are on Youtube: