TL;DR (A 3-SENTENCE SUMMARY)
Wake Up Breakfast is an enduring, hard-working creative platform that celebrates McDonald’s unique point of difference in the on-the-go breakfast scene – the hot and tasty, freshly prepared breakfast favorites you love. Predicated on the routine-driven unconscious compromises we know people make in the morning, Wake Up Breakfast is all about encouraging consumers to not settle for subpar breakfasts and choose McDonald’s. This campaign was the third outing for the platform and the first to feature new product news, McChicken Biscuits and McGriddles.
THE BRIEF
Assignment
Announce the nationwide launch of McChicken Biscuits and McGriddles under the Wake Up Breakfast platform and reinforce McDonald’s leadership in the morning daypart.
Goals
Increase guest count and sales at breakfast daypart
Drive awareness and trial of LTO McChicken breakfast sandwiches
Generate excitement for the nationwide rollout of Chicken at Breakfast
Background
March 2019 saw the debut of McDonald’s first creative platform for breakfast: Wake Up Breakfast. In October, the second Wake Up Breakfast campaign highlighted McDonald’s Mobile Order Pay functionality on their app. The third campaign needed to house LTO product new news: the national launch of McChicken breakfast sandwiches.
Challenge
McChicken at breakfast was not a net new product innovation. Many stores on the local level, especially in the south and in predominately African American communities, have these products on the menu (and have for many years).
Chicken for breakfast is not new news, so how do we use communications to make it feel like it is?
Target
Breakfast Settlers. Hardworking heroes of the morning who let busy routines and complacency lead them into breakfast compromises. They find comfort in McDonald’s, but tend to forget how satisfying we are.
They may have tried chicken for breakfast in the past, but when they want it, they don’t think of McDonald’s as a breakfast chicken destination.
Insight
Once you’ve had McChicken for breakfast, you’ll never not want McChicken for breakfast.
Strategy
Wake Up Your Tastespectations: You can’t untaste McChicken breakfast sandwiches.
Chicken for breakfast changes you. As many in the south have known for decades, once you’ve had chicken in the morning it becomes something you crave. Like every morning. Whether it’s nestled in a buttery biscuit, or sandwiched in the iconically maple-kissed McGriddle, McChicken for breakfast is truly something you’ll never be able to untaste.
Good luck going back to granola.
Creative
Concept
Change your life… for breakfast.
We have a responsibility to warn the breakfast eaters of America before trying our chicken breakfast sandwiches: you can’t untaste chicken for breakfast. With just one bite, breakfast as you know it will be changed forever. Your stomach will be enlightened to a higher plane of deliciousness! And there’s no turning back to the subpar breakfasts of yesterday. So say goodbye, and get ready for some seriously game-changing chicken for breakfast at McDonald’s.
TVC/OLV
:30 No Turning Back
:15 Bus Egg
:15 Glass Case
Social
Videos
OOH
Radio
TEAM
Jeremy Davis - Strategy Director
Hannah Barr - Junior Strategist
Ben Tolbert - Creative Director
Chris Juhas - Creative Director
Lulu Wimberly - Copywriter
Kailey Riggen - Art Director
Carla Weaver - Brand Lead
Aubrey Larson - Account Supervisor
Kevin Castro - Assistant Account Executive