McDonald’s Ireland Reveals the ‘Good Stories’ Behind its Ingredients

TBWA\Dublin has unveiled its latest campaign for McDonald’s Ireland, revealing the brand’s all new platform, Good Stories, which aims to establish trust for the brand across the local market with a series of stories surrounding the quality of McDonald’s food. 

Launching nationwide, the ‘always on’ campaign rolled out across TV, radio, press and POS platforms in April. Part of a three-year strategy, the campaign will run throughout the year, including a number of bursts between the summer and December.

The campaign kicks off with two TVCs, shot by Rocket Science’s Declan Lowney (Father Ted, Moone Boy, Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa), telling the stories of how McDonald’s only use 100% chicken breast meat and 100% Irish beef, and nothing else, in all chicken and beef menu items. A third TVC, for 100% free-range Irish eggs, will air from June. 

Three radio commercials are running simultaneously to the TVC campaign, voiced by comedian Bernard O’Shea. 

Karen Muckian, Account Director at TBWA\Dublin, explains: “This campaign is all about credibility. People want to feel that they have permission to go to McDonald’s rather than a local sandwich shop or high-street coffee chain. They want to feel guilt free when they’re going to have lunch in McDonald’s, and the campaign informs them that they can be because McDonald’s only serves high-standard, quality food. The biggest challenge for us was marrying the humour and emotional connection without trivialising the message - but Declan was the perfect man for the job.” 

Inherently Irish, Lowney’s spots aim to create an emotional link between McDonald’s and the Irish market. Packed with nuanced humour that creates a local link between the Irish public and McDonald’s, the spots tap into cultural references – including Trabolgan water park in Cork, a popular holiday destination in the 80s and 90s – to generate a sense of nostalgia. 

Muckian adds: “The question we had to answer was how do we get the Irish public to trust a big, international brand more? From housekeeper to kids, we had to establish a sense of relevance between the brand and local culture and to effectively do that we developed a strategy that humorously taps into uniquely Irish insights and stories.” 

Declan Lowney comments: "It was a joy to work with this creative team again. Their bizarre sense of humour and wry observations on the minutiae of Irish life are deeply unsettling. I hope I’ve done their scripts justice."

The campaign is now live across TV, radio, press and POS platforms.