The brief was to create a pop culturally relevant campaign that engages people, through organic reach. The campaign targeted both people growing up during the 90s and the youth today, given the 90s are back in style, including the iconic ‘curtains’ hairdo. A hairdo that also happens to be shaped just like another icon – the McDonald's Golden Arches.

The 90s are finally back in style, including the iconic ‘curtains’ hairdo. It just so happens that the hairstyle looks exactly like another icon, or one of the world’s most recognized logos: The McDonald’s Golden Arches.

To celebrate the comeback of the ‘do, McDonald’s decided to hijack it by paying a tribute to all their subliminal ambassadors. That's why they launched their very own McDonald’s certified barber shop, with only one style on the menu.

McDonald’s also built an app, The Golden M Detector, that used AI and machine learning to detect Golden M:s. People with the ‘do could use it to get a free Big Mac by posting their photo on Instagram and tagging it with #mcdonalds. If the AI didn’t find a Golden M, people were advised to book an appointment at the salon or watch the official YouTube tutorial on how to get the ‘do.

The campaign targeted both people growing up during the 90s and the youth today, given the 90s are back in style, including the iconic ‘curtains’ hairdo. By primarily engaging those who had the 'do back then, and those who have it today, we were able to tap into a trend sensitive community with content we knew would travel outside to the secondary target audience, which is everyone - given it's a quirky hairdo that looks like a world-known logo.

McDonald’s has 400 000 daily visits in Sweden each day (out of 11 million inhabitants), so penetration is crucial. That’s why we had to do something that would not only echo in earned media, but make it to people’s conversations around the water cooler at work or at the dinner table at home, getting fame and thereby maximizing reach on a broader scale.

McDonald's opened up a barber shop in Stockholm that only had one style on the menu. The barber shop was open for three days, but got fully booked within two hours of the launch. So, to further support people in getting the celebrity look, McDonald’s released an online tutorial on how to get the ‘do. They also built an app that used Artificial Intelligence and machine learning to detect and reward the ones with the ‘do with a free Big Mac.

The campaign was social-first. And in order to get people talking, McDonald’s spread the word on Instagram, Facebook, and in YouTube pre roll ads, digital out of home ads and print ads. And by hijacking a trend, McDonald’s turned everyone with the ‘do into walking billboards. We also included one of Sweden's most famous singers in our campaign, who happens to have the 'do.

· During the campaign month, McDonald’s outperformed their fast food competitors on sales and visits by +5,4% and +2,3 respectively (Source: Visita, 2020)

· The salon was fully booked within two hours of the launch

· 120+ publications picked up the news about the barber shop. It was brought up by some of the largest newspapers including The Independent, Fox News, New York Post, Vanity Fair and Bored Panda, among others.

· The campaign was picked up by one of the world’s biggest talk shows: The Late Late Show with James Corden.

· 9.8% engagement on Instagram.

· A VTR of 92% on bumpers (vs. 85% benchmark) and 90% on pre-rolls.

· The campaign has more than 600 000 000 unique media impressions to date, equivalent to 6 000 000 USD in earned media value.

· The total cost of the campaign was 50.000 USD. That’s an ROI of 120:1.