LONDON, UK — McDonald’s, in collaboration with Leo UK, is celebrating the joy of a spontaneous side mission to McDonald’s with an integrated campaign that gamifies the brand experience across every touchpoint.
Titled “McDonald’s Side Missions,” the campaign is inspired by the universal fan truth: McDonald’s is life’s side mission. Whether it’s stopping for a Big Mac during a long journey or grabbing a McMuffin before work, a trip to McDonald’s is always a welcome detour — and often more fun than the main mission.
To bring this idea to life, the brand has tapped into the origins of the phrase “side mission,” meeting fans at the intersection of gaming culture to create an experience that turns everything fans love about McDonald’s into playable missions. Participants can complete these for digital badges and legendary prizes like “Maxed Out (99,999)” Reward Points.
Just like in gaming, Side Missions come in different shapes, sizes, lengths, and difficulties — from the “Big Mac of Destiny,” which offers fans a £1.99 Big Mac, to the “Fries Speedrun,” which rewards players for laying out their fries in size order in record time.
Fans can participate by accessing Side Missions in the MyMcDonald’s app, designed and developed by tms. The app features an interactive screen with daily Side Missions that unlock food offers throughout the week and “loot” in the form of instant weekend prizes.
TMW handled CRM, rewarding fans with collectible digital badges for every mission completed. Behavioral triggers, like “The Rise and Grind Side Mission,” tempt users with prompts to order a McCafé coffee at dawn — a clever nudge to stray from life’s main quest.
McDonald’s has even teamed up with some of the nation’s most popular gamers to co-create legendary Side Missions — including a £13.37 “LEET” meal challenge. Launching with Angry Ginge, the first mission dares fans to eat McDonald’s on “Hard Mode” by posting a video of themselves braving the toughest eating conditions for a chance to win maxed out points.
The campaign also includes McDonald’s first-ever TikTok branded “mission,” encouraging users to co-create content. Standout videos will be amplified via paid support.
The fun continues in-store with the launch of a dedicated Side Missions menu on July 30. The returning Spicy McNuggets serve as the campaign’s final boss, while the new Jaffa Cakes McFlurry debuts as a freshly unlocked flavor — making each trip to McDonald’s feel even more rewarding.
The media strategy, developed by OMD, was crafted to embed Side Missions deep in pop and gaming culture — tempting people to accept a detour and go forth. A fan-to-fan 360 marketing rollout includes AV, OOH, radio, CRM, digital, and social. This includes reactive, creator-led, and community-first content across platforms.
The campaign launched with a cryptic McDonald’s “loading screen,” a nod to classic game intros that sparked speculation and conversation. That teaser unlocked a full stream of social content, including lo-fi memes, POV skits, creator duets, and reactive posts shaped around humor, fan truths, and gaming in-jokes.
Accompanying the social activation is a 60-second hero film from Leo UK, directed by Emmy-nominated director Elliott Power through production house Love Song. Set to the high-energy track “Twilight Zone” by 2Unlimited, the spot playfully celebrates the spontaneous joy of side missions to McDonald’s — blending cinematic storytelling with nostalgic game-inspired overlays. It features families on familiar detours, gamified characters on their own quests, and a cameo from Angry Ginge.
The film debuted during the UEFA Women’s Euros England vs. Wales match on July 13, with further TV placements in Love Island and Gogglebox. Shorter cutdowns (20, 10, and 6 seconds) will spotlight fan-submitted missions across SVOD platforms. Select gaming partners will also extend the experience with in-game custom builds.
Dynamic audio ads will highlight daily Side Missions via the app, using a gamified take on McDonald’s iconic five-note sting to prompt listeners to “take a detour to McDonald’s for a cheeky pitstop.”
OOH creative supports the app with digital placements that serve timely, contextual Side Mission prompts. These moments are tailored to specific locations and behaviors — blending playful, pixel-style art direction with gamified product visuals that tie into that day’s offers.
The campaign was a cross-agency collaboration:
- Media planning and buying: OMD
- PR and consumer outreach: Red Consultancy
- CRM: TMW
- Digital: tms
- POP communications: Linney
Leo UK Executive Creative Directors James Millers and Andrew Long said: “Side Missions is our love letter to every spontaneous Maccies run that somehow feels more exciting than whatever you were meant to be doing. We tapped into the language of gaming to reframe these everyday pitstops as playable moments — turning cravings into quests, fans into players, and McDonald’s into the most fun side mission on the map.”
McDonald’s UK & IE Marketing Director Matthew Reischauer added: “We all know that a detour to McDonald’s — whether on the way to the office (that meeting could have been an email), on your way home (sleep can wait, I really need a double cheeseburger), or just because — is a welcome break from the day. With Side Missions, we’re giving fans more ways to celebrate the journey of life; it’s just as important as the destination.”
