The senior marketing director of McDonald’s, Guillaume Huin, announced on his Twitter (X) about the future collaboration between the iconic global K-pop boy band BTS
(Bangtan Sonyeondan/ Bulletproof Boys) on the 18th of August 2025.
The image represents Tiny Tan characters based on the band members themselves, which was officially created by the Big Hit company (Hybe labels) as merchandise for global fans. Reactions of the fans were strong and divided into two core aspects: some supported and were excited over the collaboration, while some found it distasteful and offensive concerning the ongoing BDS movement, which aims to boycott every brand that supports Israel during the ongoing Gaza-Palestinian crisis.
Fans have started urging and asking Hybe labels, the company of the band, to acknowledge their requests and hear their concern about the ongoing conflict. The hashtag #HYBEDivestFromZionism is now trending across X.
The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement in Palestine represents the Palestinian popular and civil society consensus. It focuses on local grassroots boycott initiatives, adhering to the academic and cultural boycott guidelines by all major institutions and organisations, and leading anti-normalisation efforts in all fields. Under this movement, various brands like Airbnb, Amazon, Burger King, McDonald’s, and many more have been publicly called out to be boycotted for supporting Israel and the ongoing genocide in Palestine.
In this context, BTS, known for advocating humanitarian causes and supporting various global campaigns for peace, love, and mental health among the youth, appears to draw a hard line between its fans, as this collaboration seems to deviate from the ideas favoured by the band. Therefore, there’s no certainty of what the future holds for this upcoming collaboration.
