The McRib sandwich might be the most bizarre thing in the fast-food world right now. We're talking about chopped pork re-formed into fake ribs, people!

But that doesn't matter to McDonald's (MCD). Because whether you like it or hate it, you know what it is. People love to talk about the McRib.

It's the subject of televised news reports. Of newspaper articles. Of blog posts (ahem). It's a conversation staple on Facebook, and it even has its own account on Twitter.

That's a marketing coup for McDonald's. It's unusual for such a large and institutional brand to generate that kind of buzz, but the company has done it.

Whether the McRib can affect the company's bottom line remains to be seen. The sandwich went on sale Nov. 2, so we may see an impact in the November sales results that McDonald's is scheduled to release on Dec. 8. Post continues after video:
McDonald's has gotten a ton of mileage on the McRib's "limited time only" status. It's only available nationwide for six weeks. That gets people into stores sooner rather than later, perhaps out of curiosity or a genuine craving for the sandwich.

"I know people who hate it, and I know people who love it," one analyst told Fortune. "The point is that they're thinking about McDonald's."

The McRib has been around for years, of course, but only temporarily. It's never been available nationwide until now. And McDonald's jumped on the opportunity to create buzz about the elusive, hard-to-get sandwich that is finally easy to get.

"Maybe it is just a great post-modern marketing joke," mused Jim Shahin in The Washington Post.

Maybe. But the joke worked -- and McDonald's is reaping the rewards.