McDonald's

Won social by treating McDonald's as an occasion.

The strategy shifted the work from food-only content toward the social ritual around McDonald's: people meet, check in, share and create small public moments.

ClientMcDonald's
EmployerPichesky agency
RoleStrategist
Year2021

Strategy

The tender-winning insight was simple: McDonald's is an event and an occasion, not only food. The social system had to keep the feeling of a good time with friends instead of becoming a stream of menu posts.

01 category trapFood content alone would make social predictable and menu-led.
02 occasion insightMcDonald's works as a shared moment: people meet, check in and make small rituals.
03 creative systemThe social direction kept the brand close to culture, friends and public moments.
04 campaign bridgeThe Big Mac story used entertainment and celebrity fit to make a long OLV worth watching.

Campaign

For Big Mac, I shaped the story and selected Alexander Gudkov as the celebrity partner. The campaign used an original comedic music track and was distributed mainly as OLV / YouTube.

The creative task was attention, not only reach: if the film was going to run for 1:40, the opening, rhythm and celebrity fit had to justify the longer format.

Results

For a 1:40 OLV, the film held attention unusually well: 89% hook rate, 64% view-through rate at 30 seconds and 42% full completion. It also delivered a 21% skip rate, about 2.5x better than benchmark, and +80% reach vs plan.

Creative quality1:40 OLV with 89% hook rate and 42% full completion.
Media efficiency21% skip rate, about 2.5x better than benchmark.
Reach+80% reach vs plan.
Strategic winSocial tender won on the occasion / culture insight.