McDonald’s
World Menu Heist
The only thing better than McDonald’s…is McDonald’s in another country. Our fans have serious international menu envy. So we did what any fan-first brand would do: we went out there and heisted the most wanted menu items with our fans.
Context & The Opportunity
McDonald’s is bringing 8 menu items from around the world to the UK. In the past, we’d given fans a taste of global flavours — but this time, we’re offering a chance to experience an entire range of international menu items for the very first time!
Two key challenges faced us though … 1) a declining Guest Count, hit hard by the cost-of-living crisis, and 2) with Limited Time Offers priced higher than our core menu items, convincing customers to spend more and take a chance on something unfamiliar was going to be a harder sell.
Despite this, we saw a key opportunity … McDonald’s fans already seek out McDonald’s abroad to try new flavours. At a time when people were forgoing travel but still craving new experiences, The World Tour gave us the perfect way to reawaken fandom, reignite curiosity, and bring adventure back through our doors.
The Insight
We’ve never seen more of what the world eats, and we’ve never been more jealous. Because let’s face it, the only thing better than McDonald’s…is McDonald’s in another country. Our fans know it too as international menu envy leads them to think … “Hang on, they’ve got whaaat over there — and we don’t?!”
The Idea
With international menu envy in full swing, we did what any fan-first brand would do: we went out there and heisted the most wanted menu items with our fans. The World Menu Heist is on. Eight different menu items nabbed from seven different countries, including Garlic & Black Pepper McNuggets from Japan, the Maple BBQ & Bacon Burger from Canada and the Pineapple McSpicy from Australia. We planned the heist for months, inviting our most envious fans in on it through a close friends group on Insta. LadBible leaked the details. Crew let slip the stolen packaging. And we dropped secret coordinates to our drop zone where fans could taste the heisted goods. Then we officially launched the heist with an epic TV spot, delicious OOH, social and an immersive in-restaurant experience.
Results
- Sales: Day 1 +31.9% sales comp, Day 2 +28.3% sales comp | Highest sales comp since 2022
- System1 pre-testing:
4.6 star rating (3.1 is the category average for “Fast Food & Coffee Shops”)
1.48 spike rating (1.29 is the category average for “Fast Food & Coffee Shops”)
- PR Event Activation stats:
#3 trending on Google over the weekend after the event, 150+ pieces of coverage
400 new IG followers, 450+ McDonald’s App downloads
- CRM: Tease email had an open rate of 40% (above benchmark for campaign tease comms)
