Times Media X McDonald’s - Back To The 90s

Client: McDonald’s

Since the early 2000s, McDonald's has been working on rebuilding trust. However, the brand's trust scores remained stagnant, despite reaching a high of 46% post-2020 lockdown. People still perceive McDonald's food as of lower quality than that of its competitors. To address this issue, McDonald's partnered with The Times to reverse 20 years of firmly held beliefs.

The campaign aimed to use outdated media playfully to mock outdated views, bringing back the broadsheet from the 90s. The Times was chosen as the perfect partner, as its regular readers, who trust its journalism the most, are also the most cynical of McDonald's. The Times' archive provided rich inspiration for the campaign's content. It commissioned the journalists responsible for the major headlines of the time to reflect on a pivotal decade for British Culture. The 6-week campaign led to short-term ROMS of £3.45 and £15.49 million in incremental sales. After three years of stagnation, trust hit an all-time high, 8% higher than the top-IEO category average, meeting the 48% target. Independent research (Differentology) showcased that The Times' partnership was a key driver of these positive results. 63% of Times readers recalled seeing 2+ elements of the content. +41% increase in trust +52% uplift in food quality perception.