The Crispy Tattoo Island
View the case- Brand
- McDonald's
- Year
- 2023
- Objective
- Product Launch
- Industry
- Food & Drink
- Mechanic
- Simulation & Strategy
- Platform
- In-Game
- Agency
- Leo Burnett
- With
- OMD
- With
- Fuse
Objective
McDonald's Italy was in the amplification phase of its "What wouldn't you do for Crispy McBacon?" campaign, built on the idea that fans loved the sandwich enough to tattoo it on themselves. To carry that idea into the spaces where millennials and Gen Z actually hang out, the brand moved the tattoo concept onto Roblox, turning players into walking, visible brand carriers whose inked avatars traveled with them across the platform.
Solution
Players spawn inside a fully branded tattoo shop and start clicking to earn an in-game currency called "burgers." Spending it unlocks power-ups and opens new areas of the island, including Crispy Mountain, while letting the player grow their own tattoo business. Progress unlocks an expanding catalog of Crispy McBacon-themed tattoo designs for the avatar, with the rarest ones reserved for players who clear every zone, and finishing the whole map unlocks a separate set of tattoos themed around the campaign's influencers. A daily bonus pulls players back for another round, and each session can end the same way: screenshot the tattooed avatar and upload it to the "Crispy Tattoo" section of the McDonald's app to enter the prize draw.
Results
The Crispy Tattoo activation drew more than 7,000 participants and over 81,000 visits to Crispy Tattoo Island (143,000+ total visits once the map was extended for the Summerdays update), with more than 6,000 users submitting an avatar selfie to the contest. Player satisfaction reached 94%, and influencer streams and Meet&Greets tied to the campaign generated over 3 million combined reach across YouTube and Instagram.
- 1
Players who encountered McDonald's Italia's "Cosa non faresti per il Crispy McBacon?" campaign with Fedez can prove their devotion to the Crispy McBacon sandwich on a Roblox map, The Crispy Tattoo Island, free to enter with just a Roblox account. The player spawns inside a fully branded McDonald's tattoo parlor, the map's starting point.
- 2
The core loop is repeated clicking to earn "burgers," the map's progress currency, used to collect sandwiches and build up a tycoon-style business on the island.
- 3
Burgers are spent on power-ups and on unlocking new areas of the map, including a zone called Crispy Mountain.
- 4
Returning to the map each day grants a bonus that speeds up progress.
- 5
In the tattoo shop, alongside a character based on Fedez, the player chooses from a set of exclusive tattoos themed around Crispy McBacon and applies one to their avatar. Rarer tattoo designs take longer play sessions to unlock, and clearing every zone on the map unlocks further tattoos inspired by the campaign's influencers.
- 6
The player takes an in-game screenshot of their tattooed avatar and uploads it to the "The Crispy Tattoo" section of the McDonald's app, filling in a personal-details form. Each upload counts as one entry into a prize draw (one entry per channel — Instagram, TikTok, Roblox — up to three total), with 100 Crispy McBacon-branded Sony WH-CH510 headphones drawn on June 12, 2023.
- 7
On scheduled stream days, players on the island could encounter campaign personalities Roby e Jenny, Surry and Stepny during digital Meet & Greets held inside the map alongside YouTube broadcasts.
- 8
In summer 2023, players returning to the map found it updated for the Summerdays campaign, adding new minigames and mechanics.
