McDonald’s employs 85,000 people in Canada, and 74% of those are under 25.

Supply (in this case, available jobs) tends to exceed demand (applicants), so communications play a key role in bringing new candidates into the business and keeping the restaurants operating at full capacity (primarily targeting those aged 16-24).

Historically the approach to recruitment advertising had followed the conventional cues and codes of the category; portraying the positive reality of what working at McDonald’s involves.

And to its credit, it delivered a workmanlike performance; generating solid, if not spectacular levels of success.

So when the 2019 brief landed, the ingoing hypothesis at McDonald’s was a case of if it ain’t broke, don't fix it.