McDonald’s ushers in a McFlurry of nostalgia for its 50th

Nostalgia is a much-milked emotion in advertising, but surely our collective memories of birthday parties at McDonald’s are worthy of a call back?

Given that my mum was a vegetarian (which to paraphrase John Travolta in Pulp Fiction “pretty much made me a vegetarian”), my first trip to McDonald’s was a slightly overbearing experience, ill-equipped as I was for the sugar and meat-based excess that would follow.

In the spirit of journalistic objectivism, however, it’d be amiss not to point out that a congenial time was had by everyone else at the party, and that these memorable, shared experiences defined an era in which McDonald’s was more tailored for family experiences than utilitarian speedy dining.

Meanwhile, endless classroom chat was prompted by the contents of the brand’s latest Happy Meal boxes, or over which of a fairly rogue ensemble of lurid mascots was your favourite. (Or at least which one freaked you out the least).

Simpler times, for sure, and McDonald’s 50th birthday is as good a time as any for a bit of rubbernecking. McDonald’s UK took the opportunity to host a month-long McDonald’s birthday party, starting on Friday, 12th July with a 60 second film shot at the Woolwich McDonald’s in London, the site of the brand’s first UK location 50 years ago.

Directed by Smuggler’s Fenn O’Meally and spearheaded by Leo Burnett UK, the film features a young boy dressed in ’80s attire dancing to the ’80s hip-hop track “Know How” by Young MC. As the film progresses, the entire party joins in, culminating in a montage of McDonald’s restaurants over the past 50 years.

For the film, Leo Burnett and Smuggler recreated an ’80s version of the Woolwich McDonald’s, complete with retro menu boards, a kitchen set, and a party area with vintage furniture like Cheeseburger Stools, an Apple Pie Tree, and a mural featuring characters like Hamburglar, Birdie, Mayor McCheese, and Grimace.

In addition to the hero film, McDonald’s UK will display OOH posters styled as birthday invitations from 50 years ago, illustrated by Sofie Birkin. The fast-food giant will also release 50th-anniversary merchandise, featuring apparel with ’80s patterns and prints and nostalgic characters. Items include striped sweats, bomber jackets, printed denim, birthday T-shirts, scrunchies, and even a ‘McDonaldland’ Rubik’s Cube.

On social media, meanwhile, McDonald’s will share tutorials of the hero film dancer’s moves, as well as “fit checks” of vintage McDonald’s crew uniforms and announcements around My McDonald’s Rewards.

Starting on July 17th, McDonald’s will introduce birthday offerings at its restaurants, including retro stylings and a special-edition party food menu featuring items like the Double Big Mac and a limited-edition Birthday Cake Donut.

A ‘Party Bag’ will also feature in this fairly extensive campaign: albeit in a decidedly ‘2024’ manner, with a digital activation in the McDonald’s app, developed by The Marketing Store, which invites users to open a digital “Party Bag” to receive the Birthday Cake Donut and exclusive merchandise.

Our take

The lengths that McDonald’s has gone to in this campaign is testament to the overriding feeling that something is ‘missing’ in 2024’s high street culture.

The campaign follows a spate of accounts on X and YouTube bemoaning the lack of personality in modern chain dining establishments. There’s even websites dedicated to finding ‘old style’ Pizza Hut establishments still outfitted with their original 90s’ stylings.

It seems McDonald’s is becoming increasingly aware that appealing to a wider demographic came at the expense of losing some quirky brand personality. Its latest creative work aims to compensate for this with surreal and quirky activations, but is there enough demand for the franchise to go full circle?

What do you reckon, readers?