McDonald’s decided to play up this rivalry by launching a new burger right before the hockey playoffs…when the tension is at an all-time high.

The idea: ask all-star Montreal Canadian’s player Max Pacioretty to create his

own burger - The Max 67…and then get him to do the unthinkable: go to Boston on game day, disguised as a McDonald’s employee, and stand amongst a sea of Bruins fans to see if they like his burger.

In short, McDonald’s gamble paid off in spades. They got everyone to be a fan of the Max 67…even those who aren’t.

From March 18 to April 20, 2015, the MAX 67 was on the menu in McDonald’s Restaurants across Quebec.

The campaign aired on television (60-, 30-and 15-second spots), on the Web, including social media, in print and on the giant screens at the Bell Centre.

On March 23, a press release in French and in English was sent to media, with a focus on marketing media as well as sports and general news.

The ad quickly became an online buzz and generated media coverage in Quebec, across Canada and event in the US.

In terms of media, the overall strategy was to amplify this unprecedented stunt by integrating it seamlessly into the content most valued by Montreal Canadiens fans: a feature on 24CH TV program (to launch the storytelling) and ad executions before, during and after Habs’ games (both online and offline).

Against the backdrop of an overall decline in traffic in the quick service restaurant industry, McDonald’s was able to generate an incremental traffic increase of 31% during the targeted period, most of it directly attributable to the Max67 initiative. What’s more, the program performed more than 4 times the incremental sales of an average limited time offer.

From a communications standpoint, the results were staggering: more than 27 million organic impressions in a market of 8 million people.

Ultimately, we got mostly everyone to be a fan of the Max67 ... even those who aren’t.

We based the message on the most compelling aspect of the Max67, that it was actually conceived by an NHL hockey player, Max Pacioretty, specifically for hockey fans.

From there, we brought the core idea to life by taking it to the streets—of Boston.

Using a “camera vérité” approach, we gave Pacioretty the mission of flying to Beantown

on game day and, dressed as a McDonald’s employee, introducing his signature burger to a crowd of unsuspecting Bruins fans to get their spontaneous feedback.

Their genuinely positive reactions said it all. Right up until the point where they found out who Max actually works for!

McDonald’s needed to develop a new strategic approach to take its partnership with the Montreal Canadiens to another, more productive level. The brand needed to break through the clutter of hockey sponsors and be perceived by consumers as a dominant “player” with the Canadiens. The proposed McPlayer campaign was an integrated initiative designed to bolster the association between brand and team in a tangible and compelling manner. The core message driving this campaign originates at the intersection of both brands.

The objective was to expand the McPlayer program, an integrated initiative that distinctly and productively associated the McDonald’s brand and its offering to the Montreal Canadiens hockey club. Specifically, the mandate was to generate awareness and excitement around the launch of the Max67, a new, limited-time-offer burger personalized to the tastes of Max Pacioretty, star forward for the Habs.