McDonald’s Germany is celebrating the summer of sport with a new Happy Meal® promotion, created by tms Munich, which stars The Smurfs – and reminds kids that taking part is what counts. Running in Germany and Austria, the campaign launches on 25 July, a day before the start of the Summer 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.   

The six-week promotion features an exclusive, highly covetable Smurf figurine included with every Happy Meal® sold in Germany and Austria. There are 16 sporty Smurf figurines in total, including Hefty, the exclusive ​​Smurf only available in the McDonald’s app. Each Smurf is shown taking part in a different Olympic or Paralympic sport – there is even a breakdancing Smurf to mark the debut of breakdancing as an official sport at this year’s games.  

Our Munich office is behind the McDonald’s Happy Meal® concept and strategy, as well as designing the toys and packaging, and negotiating the partnerships and licensing deal. This campaign holds special significance, as it marks the biggest Happy Meal® promotion to date to originate from our Munich branch.  

The representation of abled and disabled athletes in this promotion is supported by the German Disabled Sports Association, and the figurines have been developed in a partnership with renowned German toy brand Schleich®. The Smurfs, who are known in German as “Die Schlümpfe”, are also proud ambassadors for the United Nations’ sustainable development goals.   

Accordingly, tms Munich has put sustainability at the heart of this Happy Meal® campaign, from manufacturing the figurines in MBPP (mass balance polypropylen) to ensuring the designs are highly collectable and will be kept for years to come.  

Georg Kitsios, Senior Account Director, tms Munich, said: “I’m lovin it – we just knew The Smurfs were the perfect theme for this McDonald’s Germany Happy Meal® promotion. The team at tms have had so much fun bringing it to life and we strongly believe that Happy Meal® fans will love it as much as we do.​​”  

Read more about the campaign in industry publications, like Mediashotz.

McDonald’s, tms, and BIG Games formed a purr-fect partnership for the Pet Simulator Happy Meal®! Running throughout 2024 across select global markets, the Happy Meal® builds off Pet Simulator game on Roblox to create an innovative promotion which integrates the Happy Meal® toy into the digital experience. McDonald’s customers will unbox surprises by receiving not one, but two pet toys with their Happy Meal®.

As lead agency, tms played a crucial role in integrating the toys with a unique Happy Meal® digital experience. To initiate the digital experience, users must scan the QR code on the Happy Meal® toy, which will populate the introductory screen to start the game. The objective of the digital gameplay is to explore three unique “worlds” and capture as many gems as possible in one round. Players can place their Happy Meal® pet onto their phone screen and watch it illuminate each time a gem is captured.  

Our embedded packaging agency, Boxer Brand Design, created custom packaging which draws off the campaigns’ theme of surprises by featuring a treasure chest tuck box. The toy’s packaging was cleverly designed to only reveal one of the toy pet’s customers will receive, leaving the other a mystery until the box is opened. That same theme of surprise and delight was carried throughout the point-of-purchase marketing we created for the retail and drive-thru locations, illustrating a treasure chest to drive home an element of surprise. 

Check your local McDonald’s to see if the Pet Simulator Happy Meal® is available near you. Interested in learning about other McDonald’s campaigns tms has been involved in? Check out our recent work with the MultiVersus Happy Meal®. 

tms shined bright at the recent McDonald’s China Supplier Summit, winning three prestigious awards for our exceptional supply chain performance on July 4 in Xiaogan city, Wuhan province.  

During the summit, McDonald’s China Supply Chain leadership shared their strategic focus for 2024, emphasizing the goals of achieving a “bigger,” “better,” and “smarter” supply chain. This includes maintaining sustainable commitments, leveraging competitive advantages, enhancing food safety and quality, and building a collaborative digital ecosystem.  

At the ceremony, the tms Packaging, SLP Waste & Recycling team received the Peak Supplier Performance Award, the highest recognition for McDonald’s suppliers. This award acknowledges tms’ continuous implementation of the “In China for China” strategy, achieving competitive advantage through scale, high productivity, innovation, and supply network optimization. This is tms’ second Peak Performance Award, having previously won in 2020 for outstanding resilience during the COVID-19 outbreak.  

Our China Packaging team received the Category Innovation Leadership Award for the first time, highlighting the team’s innovative contributions and leadership in the packaging category.  

Bruce Yang, tms’ Account Manager for China, was recognized with the Outstanding Contribution Award, alongside three other suppliers. This award honors individuals who have demonstrated exceptional dedication and impact in the Chinese market.  

Our supplier partners Huhtamaki Xuzhou and Nanwang Packaging were awarded, receiving the esteemed AA Quality Leadership Award. Five of our packaging suppliers were also recognized with an A Quality Leadership award. 

These awards are a testament to the incredible hard work and dedication of our sourcing teams. We look forward to continuing our partnership with McDonald’s as innovative and reliable supply chain partners. 

tms, McDonald’s, and PLAYMOBIL Wiltopia invite you to embark on an immersive wildlife adventure for McDonald’s latest Happy Meal®! For this latest promotion, McDonald’s and PLAYMOBIL Wiltopia are creating a series of more sustainable Happy Meal® toys made from at least 95% plant-based plastic derived from sugarcane, accompanied by a digital videogame. This global campaign runs through the course of 2024, taking place across different countries at various times. 

tms coordinated the licensing between the two brands to make this partnership a reality. The focus of this Happy Meal® campaign is to prioritize respecting the earth and its animals by educating customers on wildlife and using recycled materials to do so. The original PLAYMOBIL Wiltopia toys are made from an average of 80% post-consumer waste recycled materials, living up to the brand’s ethos that people should grow up in a world where animals and nature are respected and protected.​ As McDonald’s pledges to use less virgin fossil-fuel based plastic and more sustainable materials for their packaging and toys by 2025,  this partnership just one example of how Happy Meal® programs are being made more sustainable. 

tms’ Future Lab played an integral role in aligning our campaign strategy with McDonald’s environmental commitments by finding new, more sustainable materials to produce its Happy Meal® toys. Since 2018, our Future Lab team has reduced virgin fossil fuel-based plastic in Happy Meal® toys by 24.4% globally, and we continue to work on sourcing materials from renewable, recycled, or certified sources.​ 

We designed the digital experience to be an educational yet enticing opportunity to dive into the wild and discover animals in their natural habitats through a digital game where users can select their environment and become wildlife photographers! Players are encouraged to snap as many photos as they can of the animals roaming around their screens, including those featured as Happy Meal® toys. Once they have captured all the animals on camera, they will be presented with a portfolio of their photos to remember their outdoor adventure. 

The packaging, designed and sourced by tms, showcases photorealistic images of the PLAYMOBIL Wiltopia Happy Meal® toys themselves, set in a tropical or desert setting. We also dialed up the Happy Meal® brand itself by utilizing the box as a tree house and underwater treasure chest in the different environments. We packaged the toys in small boxes that are FSC-certified and recyclable which portray the respective animals in their habitats, along with a code that gives customers access to the digital experience. All toys come with a brief description of the animals’ characteristics and natural habitat. 

Check your local markets to see if this promotion is currently available near you, and learn about the other initiatives we’re taking to make McDonald’s more sustainable, like the new crew uniforms made with CiCLO Technology. 

It is with great pleasure we announce that tms’ very own Account Manager, Akkshata Lakeshrii, won the Exceptional Performance Award at McDonald’s Three-Legged Stool Awards. Taking place on June 27 in Bangkok, Thailand, McDonald’s Three-Legged Stool Awards honors employees, franchisees, and suppliers across the globe for achieving sustained growth and success through collaboration. 

Akkshata’s acceptance of the Exceptional Performance award displays her significant impact on client relationships, cost savings initiatives, supplier commitments, operational efficiency, and client satisfaction. Our Sourcing Buyer Mandy Badyal also played an integral role in achieving outstanding cost savings, along with the rest of tms’ India team.

Akkshata is extremely grateful to receive this accolade and expressed her gratitude for the support of her manager Nadir Ali, Director Account Management: 

“Nadir’s unwavering support and leadership style has enabled me to excel in my role by helping the client achieve savings and contribute effectively.” 

Learn about other awards where tms has been recognized by McDonald’s, such as being honored at McDonald’s Supplier Symposium earlier in 2024 for 27 years of a bountiful partnership. 

McDonald’s and tms teamed up with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products to create an unforgettable action-packed experience, the MultiVersus Happy Meal®, based on the newly launched MultiVersus, the free-to-play videogame that brings together an all-star cast of iconic Warner Bros. Discovery characters.  While this promotion has ended in most major markets, it is set to run across Pakistan, Turkey, and Panama throughout various times in 2024. 

For a limited time at participating McDonald’s restaurants nationwide, with every Happy Meal®, fans received one of six double-sided toy tins featuring a duo of characters from Batman and Shaggy to Wonder Woman and Bugs Bunny.  Each tin also came with a jigsaw puzzle, memory card game or a character collector, and activity card. These collectors’ tins were made from more sustainable aluminum materials, adding to the toy’s longevity by positioning the tins as valuable keepsakes and attracting all ages to participate.   

Fans were also able to scan the code on their Happy Meal® box to access the McDonald’s MultiVersus digital experience, where they embarked on an interactive adventure and took quizzes that unveiled the dynamic duos and celebrated their characters’ combined powers. 

The Happy Meal® packaging tapped into the game’s dynamic duos, featuring a pop-art background with pairs of characters from alternate worlds like Bugs Bunny and Shaggy or Harley Quinn and Superman.  

There’s no place like grandma’s house, and now customers can taste that feeling with McDonald’s new Grandma McFlurry®! This new McFlurry is available exclusively in the US, running from May 21 to June 16 while supplies last. 

This delectable dessert takes inspiration from the comforting flavors of classic sweet treats, blending creamy vanilla soft serve with rich, syrupy swirls and candy crumbles reminiscent of grandma’s favorites she kept in her purse. It’s a nostalgic journey back to the memories with our grandmas, where every bite was filled with warmth and love. 

Our embedded packaging agency, Boxer Brand Design, was responsible for the packaging design – drawing inspiration from household décor normally found at grandma’s house, like doilies and heartwarming signs with handwritten messages of endearment.  

tms sourced the themed packaging, which includes two limited edition Grandma McFlurry® cups and carryout bags. tms also designed the retail elements around the store, including stop motion elements at the point of order, promotional posters, drive-thru banners, and more, featuring bold fonts in a pink and orange color scheme stating familiar sayings like “xoxo, Grandma” or “save room for dessert.” 

tms colleagues from around the globe had a fantastic time attending McDonald’s Worldwide 2024 (WW24)! Taking place in Barcelona, Spain, this week-long event championed McDonald’s franchisees and suppliers by celebrating collective successes, showcasing diverse strengths, and planning for the future of the brand. 

Throughout the week, tms colleagues lent a helping hand by staffing various booths across the convention that touched on more sustainable packaging solutions, merchandise, uniforms, engaging Gen A, and more. Key topics at WW24 included growing fandoms, innovating digital experiences, and elevating restaurant experiences. 

Fandoms

McDonald’s highlighted that brand fandom is created through advancing cultural relevance, menu innovations, and positive community impact. 

tms’ Future Lab was featured in the “Building Future Fans through Happy Meal” booth, showcasing ways to elevate experiences and turn McDonald’s youngest customers into lifelong fans. tms’ Future Lab comprises a global team of cross-functioning specialties formed to support and grow McDonald’s Global Family efforts in testing and developing sustainable toy and game design.  

Research shows that societal pressures have affected Gen A; however, such conditions have made them adaptable and resilient. Gen A are individuals who want to make a unique impact and support brands that share similar values to help them foster connections through digital platforms in the face of social isolation. 

Several members of tms’ Happy Meal and Global Family teams attended the booth to discuss the magic behind the longstanding program, including Armando Zuniga, MPD², Vice President, Product Innovation; Geoff Smyrk, VP, Global Creative Director; and Claire Soper, VP, Client Engagement for McDonald’s Global Family. 

“There are so many ways that tms helps connect families with the McDonald’s brand, and it’s exciting to share that great work with restaurant operators from all over the world,” Claire Soper remarked. 

In partnership with supplier WayToBe, tms sourced all merchandise featured at WW24, showcasing the integral role we play as part of the McDonald’s System. tms plays a pivotal role in the business operations, creative design, and visual identity for McDonald’s Golden Arches Unlimited e-commerce platform. Diana Samper, SVP Group Creative Director at Boxer Brand Design; Lisa Burgess, Senior Director, Engagement at Boxer Brand Design, and Paige Ritter, Senior Account Executive, amongst others, helped run the bustling Fan Store throughout the week, where attendants were eager to grab an assortment of products like sweaters, t-shirts, pool floats, and towels! 

“I can’t gush enough about how amazing this team is and how hard everyone has been working as a well-oiled machine to make the Fan Store a huge success,” stated Katie Theophilus, Global Brand Manager & Fan Store Booth Experience Lead for McDonald’s. 

Restaurant experience

McDonald’s emphasized the importance of optimizing its overall restaurant experience by evolving operations, capitalizing on opportunities for growth, and empowering its people. tms has helped McDonald’s evolve its restaurant operations by finding sustainable solutions for necessities like food packaging, crew uniforms, and delivery services. 

Jon Beach, Senior Director of Global Packaging Innovation & Growth, and Violet Stefanovski, tms’ VP of Global Single-Use Packaging Category Lead, were on hand in the Global Impact booth to showcase the more sustainable packaging solutions we’re exploring to help McDonald’s reach its goal of sourcing 100% of primary guest packaging from recycled, renewable, or certified sources by 2025. 

Also on the convention floor were tms-ers Haydn Morgan, Senior Director Packaging ＆ Growth Platforms, and Swami SV, Vice President, Innovation & New Product, who supported the Operations booth by presenting our award-winning Delivery Cuff, heat-sealing machines, and aerated fry carton solutions to ensure the quality and consistency of McDonald’s operations outside of its retail stores. 

Furthermore, Valerie Oppenheimer, Director, Global Uniforms Category, staffed the booth alongside U.S. uniforms suppliers WayToBe and Affinity to show off sustainable new uniforms made with groundbreaking CiCLO technology, a textile which mitigates synthetic microfiber pollution.  

Innovative digital experiences 

The final topic of conversation centered around the importance of an innovative digital future for the brand. Chris Kempczinski, McDonald’s President and CEO, spoke during the day’s general session on the importance of McDonald’s digital future as a growth opportunity, and how to foster greater customer loyalty through using AI to offer personalized experiences. 

tms has taken strides to elevate McDonald’s loyalty programs by developing superior in-app experiences, forming unique partnerships, and sourcing exclusive merchandise, so we are excited for the additional growth opportunities that lie ahead.  As e-commerce platforms continue to exponentially grow, it is important to develop a regular customer base by making MyMcDonald’s Rewards a loyalty program that consistently rewards its users through unexpected brand experiences, collaborations, merchandise, personalization, and more.  

We would like to extend our gratitude to McDonald’s for hosting such a fun-filled and inspiring event. It was great to connect with others within the McDonald’s Family System, and we cannot wait to see everyone at the next Worldwide in 2026!