McDonald’s | A Trip To McDonaldland

How we reignited nostalgia & reintroduced McDonaldland to a new generation

Food & Drink McDonald's United States

OBJECTIVE

McDonald’s wanted to bring fans into a refreshed, modernized McDonaldland–one that sparked nostalgia for those who remember it and introduced an entirely new world to Gen Z.

The mission: create an immersive, culture-led experience that turned McDonaldland into a place fans could visit IRL, not just remember. That meant meeting them where they already were–across music, fashion, sports, creators, and the cultural moments shaping summer.

Through audience analysis and cultural mapping, we found that a multi-stop, festival-adjacent experience would deliver the deepest impact: transforming a legacy IP into a living, breathing universe fans could step inside.

STRATEGY

We set out to rebuild McDonaldland for the modern fan–rooted in culture, amplified socially, and designed for discovery.

→ Bring McDonaldland to culture: Activate in the spaces where our audiences were already gathering: festivals, fashion events, and major summer moments.
→ Create a modular world: Design flexible, transportable McDonaldland regions and character moments that could evolve across every stop.
→ Fuel nostalgia + discovery: Integrate beloved characters to spark emotional connection while introducing Gen Z to the lore for the first time.
→ Make social our amplifier: Build an experience designed to generate UGC, creator content, and earned media–not just foot traffic.

EXECUTION

A four-city McDonaldland tour brought the world to life through immersive buildouts, creator integrations, and cultural partnerships.

A MULTI-STOP SUMMER TOUR

Stop 1: ThriftCon (Denver)
Stop 2: Breakaway Music Festival (Grand Rapids)
Stop 3: NASCAR Coke Zero Sugar 400 (Daytona)
Stop 4: Breakaway Music Festival (Worcester)

Across every city, we built custom McDonaldland regions–modular environments filled with character interactions, sample moments, photo ops, and fan-forward activations.

PACSUN PARTNERSHIP

We extended the PacSun x McDonald’s collab through a shoppable McDonaldland pop-up at ThriftCon, offering exclusive early access, merch drops, and giveaways tied to each tour stop.

SNAPCHAT AR INTEGRATION

A custom Snapchat AR Mirror transformed fans into McDonaldland characters inside the “Apple Pie Orchard” region.
→ 2K+ videos captured
→ 4K+ fans engaged with the AR filter

INFLUENCER-LED DIGITAL AMPLIFICATION

14 creators brought McDonaldland to life online, inviting followers into the lore and incentivizing IRL visits.
→ 4.9M+ potential reach
→ 34+ social posts

DRIVING REAL FAN ENGAGEMENT

Each stop featured all four McDonaldland characters, drawing fans in, fueling UGC, and giving the experience its own cultural gravity. Sampling and on-the-ground engagement deepened the connection and reinforced the narrative across every city.