Drop culture, social media collabs and brand crossovers are all marketing tactics that are pretty textbook these days. But, almost 40 years ago, McDonald’s was at the forefront of this when it teamed up with board game Monopoly to create one of its most long-standing campaigns in the US, rolling it out to other countries in the years that followed. As Leo Burnett’s executive creative director Andrew Long says, it’s an “event” in its own right and a “beloved” part of the calendar.
To spice things up a little this year, the creative teams behind the project have come up with what they are dubbing the “ultimate collab,” which sees Mr Monopoly teaming up with McDonald’s characters Grimace, Birdie and Hamburglar in a playful “icon-meets-icon” crossover.
“Culture loves these iconic brand collaborations, two random brands coming together to create something new and exciting that’s even more than the sum of its parts. McDonald’s and Monopoly is the OG collab; it was the first unexpected one,” shares Long. “But our goal was to create something modern.”
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The campaign kicked off on September 3 with teaser activity across the brand’s owned and paid social channels. “Sightings” of McDonald’s characters appeared on famous Monopoly streets, including Grimace inspecting a parking ticket on Park Lane and Birdie strolling down Regent Street with the Monopoly dog in her handbag. There’s also a hero spot, where all the characters come together in a music video-style film, set to 50 Cent’s I Get Money.
Marketing agency TMS worked with Leo Burnett to help build out the campaign for a Gen Z audience, who notoriously love collaborations. “We’re in the middle of what, I’d say, is a great evolution of our relationship with the brand. And I think a big part of that is obviously impacted by the broader context that we’re operating in,” says Long. “People are having to be more conscious about what they’re spending their money on and, therefore, we have to be more mindful about giving people really exciting reasons to want to visit McDonald’s.”
He believes that Monopoly is a great way to do that and it almost has a “can’t miss out” feeling to it. At the heart of the agency’s ambition for McDonald’s is to “create moments that the nation talks about,” Long explains.
“Gen Z are kind of like the nation’s influencers,” he continues. “It’s been a conscious decision recently to put a bit of focus on Gen Z.”
Within the ad, eagle-eyed viewers will spot various prizes up for grabs. One notable prize is from Jet2Holidays, which is, of course, topical with its trending jingle. It’s all about giving fans something to talk about and share online. “There’s McDonald’s characters doing snow angels in Monopoly money set to a 50 Cent track. I don’t think anyone would have expected that to be the next ad,” shares Long.
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The inspiration for the hero film is deeply rooted in noughties music videos, bringing an element of nostalgia to the campaign. “It’s a funny visual motif,” the creative explains.
The ad was shot during the height of the hot summer and there were real people in those costumes, sweltering. Long explains that shooting any type of video content can be a “leap of faith” as you’re getting so much content and it’s a big edit job. “It’s quite a brave decision to make, but it was a simple premise in the end, which I think helps us a lot,” he continues. “Even little things like the goal of having the full three-aspects ratio, for example, is done deliberately, so it feels more like a music video. Even though it’s a small detail, it requires big conversations.”
Throughout the campaign rollout, players also have the chance to win a limited-edition McDonald’s-themed Monopoly board, which Long shares is one of his favorite parts of the project. “There’s such a volume of work and all the time we’re thinking about our fans and what comes next. I think it’d be really hard if you didn’t have that personal affinity with the brand.”
The Monopoly game at McDonald’s runs nationwide from today until October 21.
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