McDonald’s is building a House for Moms near the children’s hospital in Kazan (Tatarstan). It will allow children who undergo protracted course of therapy to spend more time with the ones they love. To raise money for this, a campaign was needed.

There was a child’s tradition in Soviet Union to make wire rings for those who you love. We decided to remind adults about this tradition. We asked children from Kazan hospital to weave wire rings for those who they miss so much. These designs were replicated in over a half a million rings sold at McDonald's restaurants all over Russia. The campaign ran across TV, outdoor and online.

We expected this idea to appeal to adults who made similar 'bijouterie' when they were kids. That we also engaged a younger audience came as a complete surprise.

Our goal was to raise as much money as possible. We measured success in the days up to completion of the House of Moms. Research showed that people were sick of buying the charity stuff, like stickers or rubber bracelets. We needed to come up with something that would make them spend a little more than they've planned to spend on their meal.

- Most successful charity act of McDonald's in Russia - ever

- 505,200 rings sold in 20 days

- More than 17, 000, 000 RUB ($500 000) raised, allowing the House of Moms to be completed in July 2013.

- The campaign was successful not only in terms of charity; it increased sales in McDonald’s and helped grow recruitment

- More than 10,000 mentions in Internet

- More than 800 mentions in blogs

- More than 200 mentions in official media

We asked several kids from the Kazan Hospital to weave rings for those they were missing the most. These designs were replicated in over a half a million rings that McDonald’s made available in their restaurants across Russia. Each ring was sold in a special box marked with the author's name.

The real wire has become our main tool of execution, because this stuff is from our childhood. We made wire rings, wire animation in TV spot, wire key-visual in outdoor and online media. Intentionally artless, ingenuous style appeals to the Soviet childhood, where all the toys were made with their own hands and were clumsy. Therefore, this was the most appropriate solution for a charity campaign devoted to children.

Rings, intended for sales during the month, were sold out in first week. We even needed to re-order the consignment.

McDonald’s is building a House for Moms near the children’s hospital in Kazan (Tatarstan). It will allow children who undergo protracted course of therapy to spend more time with the ones they love. To raise money for this, a campaign was needed.

Our strategy was simple: we made people feel like children, remember relations they had, things they did in their childhood. That’s why we create a souvenir that people would love to buy for reasons of nostalgia.