McCain’s Happy Frydays Café is meant to combat corporate ad fatigue and to be a content hub as much as it is an experiential activation, according to the brand.

The month-long, immersive retail experience in downtown Toronto features 25-foot French fry columns that adorn the exterior, while inside, guests are greeted by brand ambassadors who guide them through the interactive ordering process, heroing menu favourites like McCain Superfries, Superfries Extra Crispy, Tasti Taters and Sweet Potato Crinkle Fries.

Matt Kohler, McCain’s managing director for Canadian retail, tells strategy that experiential programs are tried-and-true ways to get product in front of a consumer, especially in a world of quick-burst social content. “[However,] if you only think about it as an experiential activation, you’re missing a broader opportunity,” Kohler says, adding that the café is “designed to be a content hub that enables organic storytelling in media, social, PR, influencers and word of mouth.”

Kohler says the rise of skippable ad formats means consumers are counting down the seconds until they can hit the “skip” button. Instead of traditional ads, consumers want fun, interactive, authentic and shareable connections, he adds.

To lean into the broader culture, the Café will cater to Taylor Swift fans on Nov. 8 and Nov. 15 with two unique dishes that pay homage to the pop star.

While McCain has done smaller experiential and sampling activations in the past, this is the first of this scale and duration in market, Kohler says. For example, McCain unveiled a “Would You Like Fries With That?” activation in a fashion Montreal boutique, an event targeted to coincide with National French Fry Day.

“For the McCain Happy FryDays Café we wanted to think bigger and bolder, to take every element to the next level,” Kohler says. “So far, the consumer sentiment has been fabulous, and we’ve seen significantly more earned media and engagement.”

All profits from food and merchandise sales at McCain’s Happy Frydays Café will be donated to Ronald McDonald House Charities Canada, part of McCain’s CSR “Together Is Golden” positioning.

The space was brought to life by Salt XC. The Happy Frydays Café is supported by both paid media and PR. The media buy, handled by UM, includes wild postings, streetcar murals and a TSA takeover in the downtown core.

PR support includes a robust content creator program, featuring the likes of Jessi Cruikshank and Login Moffitt, handled by Salt XC, and a comprehensive Zoomer Media (BlogTO, Daily Hive, Dished, Curiocity Toronto) partnership and Global’s The Morning Show broadcast integration, handled by Rethink.