The power to move:
the hunt for
McDonald’s
hidden prizes

In the world of gaming, developers often include so-called Easter eggs, which are secrets in the form of messages, special scenes, credits, or mentions of other cult games that represent a unique developers’ signature and provide a special experience for the player. The gamified campaign served as an upgrade to McDonald's long-term “Chicken for everyone” advertising campaign. In order to promote the McDonald’s app, we adapted and gamified all the digital city light posters (and others) and used them to primarily appeal to lovers of the gaming industry.

As the “Chicken for Everyone” campaign went on, the chicken dishes on the posters received a visual overhaul in the form of unique, pixelated shapes, which evoked feelings of nostalgia in older gamers and tapped into nostalgic memories of 2D games from their childhood. The younger audience, meanwhile, was captivated by associations to the gaming sensation of Minecraft and other games like it. Every food item image also contained hidden elements of gaming culture: “Easter eggs” – represented in the McDonald’s campaign in the form of QR codes.

But there’s a catch! Just like you don’t always win when playing video games, the QR codes weren’t always winners either. Certain QR codes brought players to a landing site where they were greeted by a “game over” screen, and an invitation to try their luck again by playing the “Burger Crush” game in the McDonald’s app. Other, luckier players’ QR codes brought them all the way to sweet victory – a coupon for a free McDonald’s food item!

This gamified advertising campaign is proof that when it comes to gaming marketing, you don’t necessarily have to base it around a single game or product on the market, but can instead reach this unique community solely by using relevant modes of communication that integrate popular elements of gaming culture.

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