Like the perfect, golden-yellow fries rather than the full Big Mac, McDonald’s “Side Missions” are all about the sides. But in this case, the little bits you do on the way to the big thing—the detour.
With a simple brief to get people using the app more, the answer was to resist the urge to push discounts and turn the particular experience of a simple Maccies run into a playable moment by tapping into video game culture, in which the in-game detours are often more fun than the main thing.
Bringing that into the real world, they launch a series of video game-like challenges via the MyMcDonald’s app.
For instance, a “Hard Mode” mission, posting a video of yourself scoffing your burger in some extreme conditions. Or “Fries Speedrun,” which rewards you for sorting your fries by size super quickly. Or the “LEET” meal, inviting them to get creative and find a way to order a meal that costs exactly £13.37. It’s so gloriously nerdy and daft.
Roping in Twitch streamer AngryGinge for the hero film and launching with retro graphics, sound effects, and all the trappings of gaming culture, this one takes a dull brief and marries it with QSR culture and the fact that sometimes you’re just grabbing a bag of fries on the way home rather than the Big Mac Meal.
Delivered in a way that makes the mundane a bit of a laugh and plays on the fact that people love a pointless challenge.
