2019 Winners & Shortlists

Background.

McDonald’s was the official restaurant of the FIFA Football World Cup 2018. During Football Season we wanted to be part of the conversation in the GCC. After all, the Middle East, like Europe, is football mad. However, we didn’t want to be just another brand that communicated during the noise surrounding the World Cup. We wanted to be a brand that made our product a relevant part of the conversation, with the objective of making McDonald’s the go-to choice for convenient meal fixes during a time when people didn’t want to cook.

Describe the creative idea.

Football Season is stressful - from the first kick-off to the final whistle. Football lovers want to see their favorite team win, and when things don’t go well on the pitch, anxiety levels rise. People handle this kind of pressure differently, but a common symptom shared by many, is nail biting. To help people save their fingertips this past Football World Cup, McDonald’s created the Finger Fries – an innovative device that could hold 5 fries and resembled a hand. Now fans could nibble on the crunchy goodness of Finger Fries instead of their nails to relieve their stress levels.

Describe the strategy.

Our big campaign idea was to “support all the fans this FIFA World Cup,” whether they were hardcore football junkies or casual supporters of the game. After all, being a fan is tough work. It’s emotionally and physically draining as you scream, cry, laugh and cheer! The World Cup was the perfect opportunity to remind people of McDonald’s quick and convenient services. During the FIFA World Cup, the priority is to watch the game. So when people meet friends or invite people over, they prefer to order in or eat out. We wanted to make sure that McDonald’s was the go-to choice for a delicious, easy meal fix during the World Cup. Now, we not only took care of fans by delivering delicious meals so that they don’t have to take their eyes off the game. With Finger Fries we also took care of them on a more emotional level.

Describe the execution.

We created an innovative red rubber fries-holder that held exactly 5 fries. When the fries were slotted in place, McDonald’s Finger Fries resembled the shape of a hand. It was easy to hold, so that anxious football fans could swap out their nervous nail-biting habit and munch on some delicious McDonald’s fries instead. McDonald’s Finger Fries were made of washable, reusable, food-safe material.

List the results.

12,000 distributed Over 12,000 McDonald’s Finger Fries were distributed across the GCC on the opening day of the FIFA World Cup 2018. Over 526,000 people reached on social media User-generated content Pop Sugar, Dubai Week, Lovin’ Dubai and more, posted social content of people interacting with Finger Fries. Emotional connection Beyond “supporting all the fans” during the World Cup with our functional benefits of easy ordering and fast service, we supported and took care of them on a more emotional level with McDonald’s Finger Fries.