McDonald’s Canada has revived a classic ad campaign to evoke nostalgia in older customers while remixing an old favourite for younger audiences.
The Menu Song was a staple of the brand’s advertising in 1989, in a campaign that featured someone sing-ordering the entire McDonald’s menu at the counter in less than 30 seconds. Decades after the ad stopped airing, McDonald’s Canada and its agency partner Cossette noticed that social media users would post their own clever takes on the song, updating and remixing it.
The social media trend inspired the brand to do the same and launch “The Menu Song Remix” campaign, featuring hip-hop star, and former McDonald’s employee, Lil Yachty. Cossette executive creative director Andrew Chisholm says the modern social media posts updating the classic Menu Song inspired McDonald’s and Cossette to offer its own fresh spin on the campaign, aimed at a younger audience.
“What was interesting was knowing who that fanbase is now and finding ways of celebrating that behaviour, and putting that creativity front and centre,” Chisholm says.
McDonald’s Canada marketing director for brand strategy and content Rebecca Smart adds that the campaign plays into the brand’s heritage, highlighting its longevity, and that the song celebrates its menu. The ability to feel nostalgic while offering a new take on the old campaign helps it reach a wider audience, Smart says.
“For a younger generation, they don’t necessarily know the 1989 song, and that’s totally fine, but it’s done in a really fun way that still resonates with them,” Smart says. “It also taps into this feeling of nostalgia amongst people that do remember those times, and it really has the mass appeal to be able to do both.”
Lil Yachty was seen as an ideal choice to lead the new campaign because his style fit into the brand’s “bubble of happy” that it tries to highlight in all of its marketing, plus his history as a former McDonald’s employee didn’t hurt. Chisholm adds that using hip hop was partially pragmatic: it allows the song to get through the whole menu more quickly in order to fit within the length of an ad.
The rapper’s involvement is also intended to reach younger generations while presenting something nostalgic for older consumers who remember the original Menu Song.
“Our brand personality and his personality felt like such a nice crossover. He just has a playfulness to him, he has a youthfulness, his energy, he’s charismatic, he’s just fun,” Smart says. “We wanted somebody that doesn’t take themselves too seriously. This is just supposed to be a fun moment where we’re highlighting the creativity of the brand.”
Timed to the new campaign is a Remix Menu featuring items inspired by menu hacks consumers have come up with in the past to customize existing menu items, including the Chicken Big Mac, Sweet Chili Junior Chicken, Surf N Turf Burger, Chicken Cheeseburger and Apple Pie McFlurry.
The campaign’s creative was developed with Cossette. “The Menu Song Remix” campaign will run in both English and French on TV, Spotify, OLV including Twitch, OOH, digital media, paid and organic social media, and merchandise. Weber Shandwick is handling PR for the campaign,
