HAPPY MEAL SENIOR

TitleHAPPY MEAL SENIOR
BrandMCDONALD'S
Product/ServiceHAPPY MEAL
Category B01. Brand-led Education & Awareness
Entrant NORD DDB Stockholm, SWEDEN
Idea Creation NORD DDB Stockholm, SWEDEN
Media Placement NORD DDB Stockholm, SWEDEN
PR NORD DDB Stockholm, SWEDEN
Production NORD DDB Stockholm, SWEDEN
Post Production NORD DDB Stockholm, SWEDEN
Credits
Name Company Position
Andreas Dahlqvist NORD DDB Chief Creative Officer
Petter Dixelius NORD DDB Copywriter
Joel Ekstrand NORD DDB Art Director
Teodor Nisbel Fjäll NORD DDB Art Director
Viktor Einarsson NORD DDB Copywriter
Jens Welin NORD DDB Senior Client Director
Jeanette Ytterman NORD DDB Senior Client Manager
Tobias Bergenwall NORD DDB Creative Producer
Josefin Kihlman NORD DDB Producer
Kristin Åkerlund NORD DDB PR strategist
Christian Björnerhag NORD DDB Motion Designer
Edith Sundberg NORD DDB Graphic Designer
Sofie Hammers NORD DDB Social Media Strategist

Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation?

By using one of the brand's most iconic products, Happy Meal, we showed that McDonald's adapts to always be a family restaurant, even in times of crisis. Happy Meal Senior is an event that not only adapted to Covid-19 but also addressed a problem that Covid-19 created, and came up with a solution to it. The whole idea was really centered around mental health issues amongst seniors in isolation.

Background

Grandparents have surprised their grandkids with Happy Meals since 1979. But as they are a risk group, they can’t meet with their grandkids. This has proven to be a big issue regarding mental health amongst seniors. McDonald's wanted an event that showed that McDonald's delivery options, as well as their restaurants, are the number one choice for families even during unusual times.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

To show that McDonald's is a family restaurant we had to come up with a Covid-19-safe experience for families. To make kids reconnect with their isolated grandparents during Covid-19 we reimagined the kids' all-time favorite meal - the Happy Meal. The iconic Happy Meal is usually for kids, but in unusual times we made it a surprise for seniors as well. By combining kids' love for their grandparents with their love to create, the new "Happy Meal Senior" became a memorable experience for all family members.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

McDonald's wanted to make a Covid-19 safe experience to let kids reconnect with their grandparents. We gained publicity by tweaking something highly recognizable. The Happy Meal has always been the same. And it has never been given a new consumer group - ever. So just by giving the Happy Meal a new consumer group we reached earned publicity that we never could've dreamt of. And not only publicity - the initiative got visitors to buy extra meals for their loved ones, increasing sales.

Describe the execution (30% of vote)

We built a playhouse in the shape of the Happy Meal Box full of pens, papers, and other fun stuff for kids to use. We encouraged kids to create drawings, letters, or other creative gifts for their grandparents. Needless to say, kids visiting the restaurant was drawn to the big red and yellow house. They made everything from epic artwork to cute letters for their beloved grandparents. For the weekend we had dedicated staff members guiding the customers through the process. The experience centered around the physical restaurant but as the Happy Meal Senior meals were delivered (free of charge) around the city, it became a heartwarming experience for the isolated senior citizens receiving the surprise meals as well. With the event, the iconic Happy Meal suddenly got an appreciated twin meal - The Happy Meal Senior.

List the results (30% of vote)

- +400M unique impressions - Over $3.500.000 in media - In September, the magical 100,000 purchases were reached in one month, which broke the all time record of Happy Meal deliveries with McDelivery in a month. - The campaign led to an increased market share during the campaign period.