Who: McDonald’s Canada, with Cossette for strategy and creative; Circle Productions for production (directed by Pete Marquis); Arcade Editorial and The Vanity for post; Beacon Street Studios for audio; OMD for media; Weber Shandwick for PR.
What: “The Menu Song Remix,” a revival of a popular 1980s campaign updated for contemporary audiences, and featuring hip-hop star—and onetime McDonald’s crew member—Lil Yachty. The Quebec campaign features Montreal multi-instrumentalist Mike Clay.
When & Where: The campaign launched this week, running across TV and online video, complemented by out-of-home, digital media, as well as paid and organic social. It also includes a merch component.
Why: The original “Menu Song,” featuring a customer sing-ordering the entire McDonald’s menu, was something of a viral hit for the QSR back in the late ‘80s. It was inspired by a 1974 song called “Life is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)” by a band called Reunion, in which the singer name-checked popular music acts of the time, such as Johnny Cash, the Rolling Stones, Carly Simon, and David Bowie.
With the “Menu Song” having recently been “discovered” by younger Canadians, who’ve posted their own variations in places like TikTok, McDonald’s launched a campaign tapping into the nostalgia of the more than 30-year-old original, but featuring a contemporary star.
Rebecca Smart, marketing director, brand strategy and content at McDonald’s Canada, said that the goal is to put the brand at the “centre of culture” by bringing to life the moments, rituals, and behaviours that fans share with the brand.
The campaign’s Gen Z target, in particular, tends to gravitate towards nostalgia, said Smart, who suggested that it’s because it evokes a time that was “less complicated, less scary and maybe in some sense, less serious.”
“The core of this campaign is really to tap into some of those points, but also be something that will create a lighthearted nod to McDonald’s heritage and iconic menu items, while creating new connections across our generations of fans,” said Smart.
The campaign is also promoting McDonald’s new limited-time Remix Menu, which is inspired by customers “hacking” of some of its best-known items.
How: The campaign’s anchor spot is built around a song in which an auto-tuned Yachty namechecks 23 menu items, from the Big Mac and McWrap, to the McFlurry and McNuggets. It’s shot like a music video, with lots of bright colours.
Yachty, who worked as a McDonald’s crew member as a teenager, even references his past with the line, “My first 9 to 5, flippin’ burgers making fries,” and even throws in a reference to the brand’s signature “ba-da-ba-ba-baa.”
“There is something about the original ‘Menu Song’ campaign that felt both nostalgic and current at the same time,” said Smart. “We loved the idea of tapping into the heritage of the McDonald’s brand, and celebrating the icons of on our menu.”
The new Remix Menu features updates to some of the QSR’s signature menu items, including the Chicken Cheeseburger, Surf ‘N Turf Burger, Sweet Chili Junior Chicken, and the Apple Pie McFlurry. “Your faves, but different,” says the digital out-of-home promoting the menu.
Why Lil Yachty?: Smart said that the Cossette team recommended Lil Yachty right from the very beginning because of his connection to the brand, a combination of creativity and “charismatic energy,” and a constantly evolving personal and musical style.
Asked if the campaign could be extended into other global markets given Yachty’s international recognition, Smart said: “As a global brand, we are putting a lot of work into sharing and scaling across markets where it makes sense based on local relevance.”
And we quote: “We knew for the campaign to be truly successful and resonate with our fans, we had to go beyond the usual screens and channels and do something that reflected how our fans were already hacking and customizing existing McDonald’s menu items.” — Andrew Chisholm, executive creative director, Cossette
