Big Mac 50th Anniversary
McDonald’s · 2019
1 award: Cannes
Strategic insight
A milestone birthday becomes irrelevant unless it gives people a reason to act. By positioning the Big Mac's global ubiquity as a currency standard (inverting the Economist's Big Mac Index), the campaign made collecting and redeeming coins the natural behavior, not a branded gimmick.
Earned Reach
The campaign generated three billion earned media impressions, double the social mentions of McDonald's previous top global campaign. Even non-participating markets like the UK and Australia ranked near the top of media coverage charts, proving the idea's inherent shareability.
Business Result
MacCoin drove measurable sales across multiple markets. The US saw a 40% Big Mac sales spike with $2M incremental revenue and 400K additional sandwiches sold on day one. New Zealand increased comp sales 5.6% and Big Mac sales 21% during activation.
