BILLBOARD HOTELS

TitleBILLBOARD HOTELS
BrandMCDONALD'S
Product/ServiceFASTFOOD
Category B03. Use of Print / Outdoor
Entrant NORD DDB Stockholm, SWEDEN
Idea Creation NORD DDB Stockholm, SWEDEN
PR NORD DDB Stockholm, SWEDEN
Credits
Name Company Position
Andreas Dahlqvist NORD DDB Chief Creative Officer
Petter Dixelius NORD DDB Copywriter
Jens Welin NORD DDB Senior Client Director
Anna Lisspers NordDDB Printbuyer
Joel Ekstrand Nord DDB Art Director
Johanna Björnfot Nord DDB Client Director
Stina Nyberg Nord DDB Client Manager
Annie Leander Nord DDB Client Manager
Tobias Bergenwall Nord DDB Creative Producer
Elin Wiger Fengnell Nord DDB Graphic Designer
Daniel Liljas Nord DDB Graphic Designer
Pärmartin Jonsson Nord DDB Graphic Designer
Lisa Ström Nord DDB Planner
Susanne Johansson Nord DDB PR Director
Christian Björnehag Nord DDB Photographer
Jonas Eriksson Nord DDB Content Creative
Jeanette Ytterman Nord DDB Senior Client Manager

Why is this work relevant for Media?

We created a system where McDonald's franchisees could replace their standard billboards with new billboards that doubles as bee hotels.

Background

Situation: McDonald’s Sweden's creative concept is “Big enough to make a difference”. All brand building campaigns are grounded in an annual sustainability report. Brief: Make people see McDonald's as a responsible brand by scaling up local sustainability efforts. Objective: The objective was to highlight the issue of Sweden’s declining bee population, make more franchisees throughout the country join the cause and hopefully spread this idea to other markets.

Describe the creative idea / insights (30% of vote)

We created a new type of outdoor billboards that double as bee hotels where wild bees can rest. The billboards are permanent installations made of wood with holes drilled in both the copy and the logo. All McDonald’s franchisees can order their own billboard hotels and customize both size and messaging. McDonald’s has also collaborated with JC Decaux in an effort to put unused space on the back of roadside billboards to use by mounting bee hotels on the backsides facing south (since that’s what wild bees find comfy).

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

The primary target audience was the general population of Sweden. We made the billboard hotels available to order for all McDonald’s franchisees in Sweden and let them customize both size and copy to fit their needs. At the same time we collaborated with JC Decaux to put dead space on the backside of billboards to good use. We filmed the making and mounting of our billboards and seeded the film via social media and to relevant media outlets, locally and internationally.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

The first billboards were mounted outside three McDonald’s restaurants before summer. The billboards are permanent installations and will sit there for a very very long time since the copy is generic information such as “Always open” and not campaign messaging.

List the results (30% of vote)

The Billboard Hotels were covered by media all over the world, with an earned reach over 360 000 000 and thousands of people urging their local McDonald’s’ to join the cause. McDonald's is a company that takes responsibility: +30% (vs norm).