Snapchat just landed an extra large-sized brand.
McDonald's quietly joined Snapchat late last week and plans to publicly kick off the account on Tuesday with a snap from basketball star LeBron James, the company confirmed to Mashable.
"We are excited to use Snapchat as a way to share the fun side of our brand with this highly engaged audience of millennials," said Rick Wion, director of social media for McDonald's.
See also: Brands Are Coming to Snapchat. Will Users Disappear?
McDonald's teased the Snapchat account on Twitter on Friday and has already attracted "several thousand" followers. The account has shared several snaps to date alluding to the formal launch and James' involvement.
You snap? We will soon. Add us for a tasty surprise. @Snapchat username: mcdonalds pic.twitter.com/mNtLhmEpsV
— McDonald's (@McDonalds) February 22, 2014
James will film a commercial for McDonald's on Tuesday and then share a photo on Snapchat from behind the scenes. The inaugural snap will tie in to McDonald's announcing a new sandwich.


Several notable brands have joined Snapchat in recent months, including Juicy Couture, HBO's Girls, NPR and Taco Bell. Some brands have billed these efforts as an experiment in the fast-growing social network, but McDonald's expects to make more of a long-term commitment to the platform.
"With any platform, we always want to dip our toe in the water first and see how it works," Wion said. "In this initial mode, we've gotten several thousand followers in a couple days. We think it's a good sign that this has long term viability."
The Snapchat account will be managed by a small in-house PR team with some help from an agency. The plan is to share images from red carpet events as well as quirky everyday moments.