Side Missions
Open the game- Brand
- McDonald's
- Year
- 2025
- Objective
- Engagement
- Industry
- Food & drink
- Mechanic
- Arcade
Objective
McDonald's aimed to reframe casual UK visits as culturally resonant gaming quests during summer 2025, driving consistent app engagement, exclusive offer redemption, and store footfall particularly during school holidays. The brand sought to connect with gaming-culture audiences by transforming routine food purchases into interactive challenges with rewards.
Solution
A gamified app-based campaign within MyMcDonald's featuring daily contextual missions that transform everyday scenarios (early-morning McCafé runs, road-trip Big Mac detours, pre-work McMuffin trips) into game-style challenges. Players unlock digital badges, instant weekend prizes, and weekday food offers by completing missions. The campaign included "Hard Mode" challenges developed with gaming influencers, limited-edition menu items (Spicy McNuggets, Jaffa Cakes McFlurry), location-based triggers via Citymapper integration for nearby-restaurant suggestions, and a TikTok branded mission for user-generated content. Creative execution: 60-second hero film (director Elliott Power) debuted during UEFA Women's Euros with retro gaming overlays and pixelated graphics. Multi-channel rollout included out-of-home advertising and contextual audio.
Results
Not published.
