McDonald’s role at Christmas is a fine line to tread, our daily visitor numbers spike but unlike the big grocers and retailers, it’s not an obvious customer fit at Christmas time. Our brief was to drive brand affinity at Christmas and increase customer consideration by highlighting McDonald’s functional strengths in an emotional and engaging way.

Tapping into the anticipation and excitement that comes in the preparation for Christmas, our idea centred around getting the nation ready for the arrival of Father Christmas and his reindeer.

To do this, we turned to the most unexpected item on the menu. By rebranding carrot sticks into ‘Reindeer Treats’, we helped the nation prepare for the big day with a magical cross-platform brand experience that spanned multiple media touchpoints from PR to social to in-restaurant activation.

The results were outstanding. Our film trended on YouTube for two weeks after launch and was voted the most festive of the year. 17.6 million Snapchat impressions. Over 450,000 Reindeer Ready Live entries. Sales in the festive menu up 50%. And of course. 236,000 bags of carrot sticks were sold.