McDonald's UK aimed to establish fame and relevance among Gen Z through social participation based on ownable brand truths and iconic menu items.

McDonald's Fries are a product that everyone loves, with decades of built-in memories and associations. One of the most powerful associations is the insight that McDonald's fries are so delicious that other people can't resist stealing them.

This insight provided us with a solid foundation to build an innovative campaign that put McDonald's brand fans at the centre of the idea, by utilizing a direct response mechanic.

McDonald’s Fries are world famous for being crispy, delicious, and iconic. But there’s a problem. McDonald’s Fries are SO irresistible, millions of them are stolen every day and there’s nothing anybody can do about it.

Until now.

We opened the world’s first law firm dedicated to fighting Fry theft, giving every McDonald’s fan the opportunity to make a personalised claim that we would directly respond to in real time with personalised videos featuring a Fries Claims lawyer, legal advice, and of course, free Fries as compensation.

Everyone knows that McDonald's Fries are so delicious that people can't resist stealing them. But we wanted to dive deeper into this universal behaviour.

Partnering with Twitter, we discovered a surge in social media discussion around Fry theft since the pandemic, with the platform reporting a 100% increase in posts about Fries being stolen in the past year.

Recognizing that Twitter was already a platform where McDonald's fans were sharing their experiences of Fry theft, our aim was to create a campaign that would directly engage those fans by delivering a clear and memorable call to action.

We opened the world’s first law firm dedicated to fighting Fry theft.

Fans could use social media to make their claim and we’d respond directly in real time with personalised videos featuring a Fries Claims lawyer, legal advice, and of course, free Fries as compensation.

Working from Fries Claims headquarters a team of community managers monitored comments throughout the day, and within minutes created live video responses bespoke to every fan’s individual claim, complete with a code for free Fries as compensation that was directly deposited into claimant’s McDonald’s app account.

To raise awareness, we did what any law firm would do. We designed a full corporate identity based on a modified version of the McDonald’s font. We created testimonial videos featuring successful claimants. We ran advertising, produced limited edition Fries Claims office merch, and even attracted some celebrity clients.

"Fries Claims" turned a simple fan truth into a unique cultural event. We settled hundreds of cases with over 15,000 direct interactions on social media, resulting in a 300% increase in social engagement. This generated an additional £40,000 in incremental Fries sales, as well as earned media coverage in mainstream outlets such as Britain's biggest newspaper, The Sun. The success of "Fries Claims" made it one of McDonald's most successful social promotional events of all time, serving justice and Fries to our customers.