McDonald’s goes back to advertising as it celebrates ‘return of the mac’

McDonald’s is launching a major marketing campaign celebrating it’s return to the high street following the closure of the majority of its restaurants during the coronavirus lockdown.

‘Welcome Back’, created by Leo Burnett London, shows people happily eating their McDonald’s for the first time since reopenings began.

Opening with a little girl anxiously pressed up against a window watching for her McDelivery to arrive, the ad shows a range of people eating their McDonald’s whether received through drive-thru, takeaway or delivery, to the sound of the song Return of the Mack by Mark Morrison. It ends with one woman declaring “I’m so happy” as she tucks into a Big Mac.

Launching today (17 July) the campaign will run across TV, out-of-home, social media and radio for six weeks.

McDonald’s UK and Ireland vice-president of food and marketing, Michelle Graham-Clare, says: “Thinking back to the start of the year, we could never have imagined needing to close all our restaurants, switching off marketing and despite being the UK’s biggest restaurant company – falling briefly silent.

“Our return to national advertising, celebrates those rituals and moments our customers have spent the last four months telling us they’re missing. It is fantastic to be able to return with a knowing nod to the little ways our customers enjoy our food in different ways.”

McDonald’s shut all its restaurants in March due to the coronavirus pandemic but is slowly reopening them as lockdown restrictions ease in the UK. The company restarted its delivery and drive-thru in mid May and last month opened up for takeaway. It has been running reduced hours and menus but has seen long queues as it struggles to keep up with high demand.

Graham-Clare adds: “Our restaurant teams and franchisees have worked tirelessly to return to the communities in which we operate and I am delighted to capture the joy of those much-missed McDonald’s moments in this campaign.”

Speaking last month, about the appointment of a new global CMO, McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski noted the importance of marketing as the brand recovers from shutting its stores.

He said: “As we emerge from this global pandemic, consumers’ trust in the McDonald’s brand and compelling marketing programmes in every country where we operate will be critical to re-establish the strong business momentum we enjoyed leading into this crisis.”