With its new ’90s-inspired collaboration with the Toronto Raptors, McDonald’s is again drawing on memories from the past for a limited-time offer.
After NHL stars Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid’s recent nod to the QSR’s “Showdown” commercials of the ’90s, McDonald’s is now using the colours, sounds and flavours of the decade to celebrate the 30th anniversary of both the Raptors and the McFlurry.
McDonald’s Canada’s field marketing director Melissa Hains tells strategy that drawing on the past “drives both the brand and the business forward.”
“As a brand with a rich history in culture that is beloved by fans, our success is found from drawing on fans’ existing relationships with the brand,” Hains says. “That is where nostalgia can play a role – in our archives.”
The ’95 McFlurry, a mix of soft-serve vanilla ice cream, blueberry-flavoured syrup and red pop candy that calls to mind the original team colours of the Raptors, is the focal point of a campaign that includes a music video and three original songs produced in the ’90s hip-hop style.
“Nostalgia for all things ’90s is very big at the minute, with fashion and all sorts of ’90s trends across social media popping up all over the place, so it’s a huge bonus that the ’90s are in right now,” Hains says. “But even if the ’90s weren’t trending, this campaign is really steeped in the true history of these brands and how they shaped that decade.”
Jason Hill, executive creative director at McDonald’s AOR Cossette, says the long-time connection between hip-hop and basketball fuelled the decision to take the campaign in a musical direction. He says the three-song EP was whittled down from roughly 25 tracks produced in partnership with California-based Beacon Street Studios.
“Formats like this gave us the freedom to get creative,” Hill tells strategy, “and we believe the fun we had making it shines through at every touchpoint.”
The campaign also includes connected TV, digital and social elements as wells as activations at the Raptors’ home stadium, Scotiabank Arena.
