In 2012, McDonald’s faced the sobering fact that nearly half of 18-24-year-olds, a key segment of burger eaters, had never ordered a Big Mac. Ever. To earn it a place in their consideration set, we did not need to change the Big Mac, nor pretend that the Big Mac was anything different than what it’s always been. What we needed to do was dramatically change the way Big Mac was resonating in contemporary culture. In truth, we all want the simple things in life: what’s easy, good, and delicious. But the easy, good, deliciousness of Big Mac was being clouded by a culture of overthink, a culture where endless choice and an excess of information was kindling a habit of overintellectualizing everything, even the simple enjoyment of a burger. So we had to challenge Millennials to think differently. We had to challenge them to “Think With Your Mouth.”

“Think With Your Mouth” launched as the antithesis of overthink. With a distinctively simple look and cleverly concise copy, the campaign set out to go against the societal norm of overthinking by creating a counterculture of “mouthinking,” a push toward all that is desirable and delicious, and a push away from all that is overcomplicated and over-rationalized. A series of 15sec. films on TV and digital set the tone of the campaign, taking viewers on quick, drool-driving trips through the world of mouthinking. Digital placements went further to target Millennials, delivering simple, contextual reminders to not overthink simple passions, especially passions like sports and music. Facebook was leveraged to build social momentum around the movement of mouthinking with daily posts celebrating all that is easy, good, and delicious. Interactive applications like Music Mash Up and Football Fantasy were also launched to gamify the mouthinking experience and encourage shareability.

For a product with ubiquitous awareness like the Big Mac, even marginal gains in measures like trial are a hard-earned success. However, “Think With Your Mouth” drove double-digit increases in trials of Big Mac among 18-24-year-olds quarter-over-quarter in 2013 versus 2012. Lifts in trial also translated into a 12% increase in Big Mac’s share of total category burger servings among 18-24-year-olds, signalling more Big Macs in the hands of young burger eaters than the year prior. Over 60% of Millennials surveyed stated “the campaign stands out,” made them “more interested in buying the Big Mac,” and demonstrated that “McDonald’s is thinking of a younger crowd.” The positive response to the campaign also created a halo for the brand. Consideration of McDonald’s as a favorite fast food restaurant increased by 12% and the campaign generated impressions that the brand was “modern,” and “innovative.”