Opportunity
After recently relaunching the McCafé® brand, McDonald’s wanted to reconnect with customers in a purposeful way, as well as boost their coffee credibility and quality perception while inspiring an emotional connection with the brand.
Forging a feel-good grassroots program
April 17, 2022
Approach
tms capitalized on the launch of the Good is Brewing campaign to create a feel-good, grassroots program that connected customers in an authentic way.
Outcome
tms developed a breakthrough social and digital engagement that inspired customers to nominate friends, family, and neighbors they saw doing good for a chance to win McCafé® for life.
Results
50,000
People
participated
1.3
Million
total impressions
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McDonald’s | Macca’s Mini Games
Offering bite-size entertainment within the McDonald’s app
May 19, 2022
McDonald’s | Artist Residency
Creating a one-of-a-kind experience for modern tastemakers
May 19, 2023
Bringing McDonald’s Breakfast to Asia
March 17, 2022
Opportunity
McDonald’s Asia-wide National Breakfast Day campaign needed a digital component to boost breakfast sales across the region. Driven by the business goal to increase the breakfast business by 1% year-on-year, we tapped into the insight that most people hate mornings, but love them if there is something to look forward to. We created a promotion that was specifically designed to grow brand awareness and boost customer interaction every day.
Approach
Alarm clocks are enmeshed in our daily routines, with around 85% of people using one. However, they tend not to be thought of positively. We wanted to find a way for McDonald’s to become part of customers’ morning rituals but in a positive way. The McDonald’s Surprise alarm flips the negative connotations of an alarm clock on its head by giving customers something worth getting up for every day.
Outcome
tms created McDonald’s Surprise Alarm app, an alarm clock that delivers a fun surprise each morning. Users received McDonald’s food items, partner music tracks, entertainment, and more. From the strategy to the app build and even the language translations, we took the lead on bringing the customer experience to life. Our proprietary technology product iWin integrated with the app, empowering the prize distribution. Like a big roulette wheel in the cloud, it returned a secure, valid, and fair prize result in real time with each and every game play. With over 7.5 million app opens per day, the McDonald’s Surprise Alarm built brand affinity, increased visits, and drove incremental transactions in Singapore, Taiwan and Australia.
Results
7.5
Million
App opens
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Driving McCafé® sustainability efforts
February 17, 2022
Opportunity
McDonald’s sought to overhaul its foam McCafé® coffee cups based on customer insights and a need to align supplier practices with sustainability goals.
Approach
McDonald’s tapped tms to initiate, manage, and implement the conversion of their foam cup to a renewable resource with the optimized double-wall fiber hot cup. It had to be cost-effective and easily deployed to more than 14,000 restaurants in the United States. Recognizing the gold-standard of the FSC® certification and influence of the trademark and organizational reach of the label, tms also managed the phase-in of the FSC® certified board and subsequently included the graphic on the hot cup.
Outcome
The resulting cup aligned with brand demand for sustainable products as well as consumer expectations for quality and corporate responsibility, making it cost-neutral for McDonald’s and its customers. Furthermore, the redesign promoted environmental sustainability and highlighted McDonald’s FSC® certification and sustainable practices. The cup’s increased insulation eliminates the need for a sleeve, leading to a reduction in material use and freight cost.
Results
5.8
million
a pounds packaging waste saved
5.2
million
pound initial goal surpassed
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McDonald’s | Smart Sourcing
Cutting operational supply costs through smart sourcing
December 17, 2021
McDonald’s | Thoughtful Design
Delivering culturally relevant design to bring families together
November 14, 2021
From McDonald’s cups to Happy Meal®: a sustainable journey
tms (formerly The Marketing Store) and McDonald’s are giving cold cups a new life by turning them into Happy Meal® books. In February, McDonald’s customers in Germany received one of seven children’s books made up of 40% recycled cold cup materials with stories focused on the environment and nature.
This innovative Happy Meal® is not only the first of its kind but an important means of promoting closed-loop recycling to give used material a unique second life. With this circular innovation, we utilised materials that potentially would have been recycled into producing single use or disposable products, such as paper towels, and transformed them into Happy Meal® books that can be enjoyed time and time again before being passed on, creating a long-lasting product.
How does this work? In the simplest terms, waste generated during cup production, such as a faulty cup, is combined with recycled collected cups from McDonald’s stores and then pressed. Next, the recycled cups are washed, and the pure paper pulp is separated and transformed into larger reams of paper. These are used to create Happy Meal® books, protecting trees and the environment twice over.
“We are so excited to delight our young customers with this innovative sustainable solution,” notes tms’s (formerly The Marketing Store’s) Global Head of Sustainability, Pamela Stathaki. “This is not just a great example of circular economy brought to life but most importantly it shows the younger generation how by recycling in restaurants they can directly have an impact. It gives them the opportunity to make a difference through a simple behaviour.”
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My Winning Story launches at McDonald’s
There’s no better time than the start of the year to create new stories. That’s why tms (formerly The Marketing Store) London has dreamed up a new program in the McDonald’s App — My Winning Story — that gives customers the opportunity to create their own epic McDonald’s Story, for their chance to win from 4 prize draws.
From now through to the 20th February, in a customizable and personal experience, McDonald’s UK customers will receive a guaranteed food offer and a chance to win a prize of their choice by entering their story in the app. Prompted through a series of drop-down options, each user will craft a story unique to them before receiving their offer and entry into the draw.
Head to the MyMcDonald’s app (Apple, Android) to tell your winning story!
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Boxer Brand Design wins gold MUSE Design Award
Our branding and packaging design agency Boxer Brand Design and McDonald’s won a gold MUSE Design award for their 2020 McCafé® holiday packaging line.
The MUSE Design Awards competition is a part of the wider MUSE Awards Program created by the International Awards Associate (IAA) in 2015 to encourage creativity. MUSE awards honor professionals in both creative and design spaces, promoting the entrants’ excellent works in spite of the changing times wrought by the pandemic.
“Evidently, the new normal has brought about changes to how people operate in the world” said Kenjo Ong, CEO of IAA. “Despite the challenges, these individuals have shown remarkable tenacity in their continued excellence, wis clearly demonstrated in their works.”
Judged by 46 jurors from 25 countries, the winners are selected by a diverse panel of qualified professionals. You can view the full list of winners here.
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Cutting operational supply costs through smart sourcing
December 17, 2021
Opportunity
McDonald’s existing approach to sourcing operational supplies locally across Europe involved multiple suppliers and dozens of sourcing efforts in various countries. They needed a sourcing partner who could provide a strategic, centralized approach to unlock more value across a broad geography.
Approach
tms managed the sourcing of operating supplies across multiple countries, freeing up McDonald’s resources to focus on the core business. We used our broad category experience to drive supplier management activities, including compliance management and establishing a framework for future events, such as contingency sourcing solutions and capacity allocation.
Outcome
tms was able to provide a cost-saving and more efficient solution with 18% average total savings delivered through RFP negotiations and supplier/specification efficiencies. tms ultimately drove savings and quality control by bundling volumes.
Results
8.5
Million
dollars in total savings
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Cutting operational supply costs through smart sourcing
December 17, 2021
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Delivering culturally relevant design to bring families together
November 14, 2021
Tackling tail-spend to unlock savings
December 17, 2021
Opportunity
Tail-spend is one of the biggest sources of incremental savings available. It requires leveraging spend volumes to unlock savings but also demands process discipline to define a structured approach and accelerate decision-making, which most companies don’t have the time or resources to do. tms identified an opportunity to help McDonald’s save big.
Approach
A centralized tail-spend program reviewing non-core categories gives markets access to savings from leveraged spend on products, such as condiments, across markets that aren’t currently benefiting from buying together. tms managed the tail-spend across non-core food items in various markets, using analytical tools and proven methodologies to deliver savings fast. The funding for our services was derived from savings generated from Year 1 based on agreed estimated annual volume, which meant there was no risk to McDonald’s.
Outcome
tms’s approach to tail-spend management drove real value through savings and efficiencies — we uncovered additional opportunities to save even more.
Results
8.7
Million
dollars in total savings
13
Percent
total savings delivered through streamlining process
40
Million
dollars in additional opportunity identified
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December 17, 2021
Delivering culturally relevant design to bring families together
November 14, 2021
Opportunity
McDonald’s wanted to introduce rice-based entrees in Northern Asia to grow the dinner day part and find a way to bring families together. They needed a short-term packaging solution that allowed for effective containment in less than three months. They were also looking for a longer-term solution that offered a more consumer-centric approach.
Approach
tms took a two-step functional packaging approach for both short and long-term gains. The first batch of packaging was delivered in less than three months, allowing the restaurant to quickly launch rice entrees. For the longer-term solution, tms analyzed main consumer preferences for a dinner experience. We harnessed these insights to create new packaging that encouraged meal sharing while maintaining product integrity and quality.
Outcome
Leveraging tms’s award-winning design teams and extensive supplier network, we delivered new packaging in record time, then adapted the next round of designs using our findings with limited investment on the front end. Our modular packaging enhances the customer experience, allowing them to share food in a way that feels comfortable and familiar.
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December 17, 2021
McDonald’s to introduce more sustainable Happy Meal toys globally by 2025
For years The Marketing Store has helped our client McDonald’s innovate and deliver unique Happy Meal experiences for billions of kids and families across the world. Today, we have reached another milestone in this journey together.
McDonald’s mission to “feed and foster communities” continues with its first global environmental milestone. Read more here about their ambition to move to a more sustainable Happy Meal toy by the end of 2025.
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