MacCoins promotion in Andalusia Thursday

The first 225 customers who purchase a Big Mac in Andalusia on Thursday will receive a collectible MacCoin, which can be redeemed for a free Big Mac at participating locations in 50 countries around the world.

The promotion is in honor of the 50th anniversary of the iconic sandwich. Those who grew up in the 1970s can probably still sing the advertising jingle which spells out the specifics – “two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions – on a sesame seed bun.”

The MacCoin, which McDonald’s is branding as the world’s first “food-backed global currency,” was unveiled Sunday ahead of the anniversary. Beginning at lunch on Thursday, customers can receive a MacCoin with the purchase of a Big Mac at 14,000 participating restaurants across the United States and in more than 50 participating countries. More than 6.2 million MacCoins will be distributed while supplies last.

Eddie Byrd, director of marketing and community outreach for Murphy Family Restaurants, which operates 30 McDonald’s restaurants including the one in Andalusia, said each of the company’s area stores will have 225 MacCoins to distribute.

The MacCoin highlights each of the five decades of the Big Mac,Additionally, the seven languages featured across the various designs represent many of the countries participating: Arabic, English, Indonesian, Mandarin, Portuguese, French and Spanish.

The Big Mac has become such a global icon that The Economist even used the price of the Big Mac to create the Big Mac Index, an economic tool that compares the purchasing power of different international currencies year after year. This global connectivity of the Big Mac inspired the creation of the MacCoin.