McDonald's UK Brand Repositioning
Year: 2015
Agency: Leo Burnett
Methods: 360' Focus Groups, Creative Comms Audit, Brand War-Room, Brand Pillars, Brand Promise, Brand Proposition, Brand Rules.
Channels: Brand Book; Omni-Channel Comms
Story
Democracy is an inherent feature in McDonald's brand DNA. It's designed, purposefully, to be accessible to those from all walks of life. But for a global brand that serves cultures and characters of all types, it poses a challenge in communication: should it be a brand bound by consistency - the same tones and Pantones the World over - or, one that is free to adapt to local and audience nuance? The McDonald's UK team put us to task, to unpack this problem, such that it could continue to fulfil its mission as a 'Modern, progressive burger company, delivering a contemporary customer experience.'
Approach
The project was split into three distinct phases:
1. A 360' research period
2. Creative and strategic development
3. A period to present to, and instil traction within, the McDonald's business
Involved most heavily in the first two phases of the project, we combined insights from consumer focus groups across the country with interviews takeouts from senior internal + external stakeholders, along with an extensive audit of the latest creative comms. Hunkered in a large war-room, a view of all existing work revealed the silos that had emerged between price-led tactical promotions often seen in print, and the slice-of-life centred brand campaigns seen in ATL. The same divergent trend could be seen in everything from HR Welcome Packs to Open 24-hour comms to Social Responsibility work around better ingredients and farmer relationships. Further still, the nature of the comms uncovered a whole raft of business problems to solved, including the realisation from a senior exec that, 'We're training the personality out of our people [Restaurant Crew]'. This had to be paired with shifting consumer trends towards 'quick-healthy options', and the new visual language of food introduced by M&S Food and Five Guys (a recent entrant to the UK market).
Outcomes
We carved the McDonald's comms landscape into 12 clear pillars that supported each other, rather than fighting each other. To bind all the strands together, we developed a new brand promise, ethos, and delved into the minutia of design and typography. We then produced the rules and guidelines that would be used across an integrated set of agency teams.