McDonald's has begun testing a new, larger burger called the Big Arch, designed specifically for "extra hungry" customers with its hefty 14-ounce size. Traditionally, McDonald's products are recognized by their "Mc" prefix, such as McNuggets, McFlurry, and McPlant. However, with this new offering, the brand is shifting focus to another iconic element—the Golden Arches.

The Big Arch is currently being piloted in Canada and Portugal, with plans for a global rollout if the trials prove successful. Marketing experts highlight that using a brand name like "Big Arch" instead of a generic descriptor helps elevate the product, making it seem more prestigious. Finola Kerrigan, a marketing professor at Birmingham Business School, notes that a brand name can transform something as simple as a large burger into a "branded, shiny thing."

McDonald's has experimented with arches branding in the past, though not always with success. The Arch Deluxe, launched in 1996, aimed at a more sophisticated audience but ultimately failed. A similar product, the Archburger, was tested in 2018 but never made it to national menus. Now, with the Big Arch and its accompanying Big Arch Sauce, McDonald's is once again betting on the arches imagery to resonate with consumers.

McDonald's has effectively leveraged its rich brand imagery in recent campaigns, such as the Grimace Shake and the CosMc's coffee chain, to reinforce its place in popular culture. Whether the Big Arch will succeed where past arches-themed products did not remains to be seen.