During spring 2017 a nation-wide debate rose regarding the decision to reintroduce mandatory military service in Sweden. Historically an opportunity to unite women and men from different paths of life working together as a team.

We decided to test the similarities between what you learn by working at McDonald’s and by participating in the mandatory military service by copying the Swedish Armed Forces internal survey. The results showed that self-discipline, responsibility and ability to cooperate are almost identical in extent. It also showed that the employees see the diversity of their workplace as a major strength.

When the Swedish armed forces sent out first draft cards we sent out we published the result from the survey in the report “We’re already pretty diverse – an inspirational report on cohesion, jobs and integration”.

The campaign encompassed media outreach, public affairs, digital, SoMe, always on and influencer marketing and all parts led to the campaign site gordonken.se where visitors could learn about McDonald’s and the advantages with people from different paths of life working together as a team. You could also apply for a job instantly on the site.

In order to increase the internal pride, all the participants in the campaign (except the guests) were true McDonald’s employees.

The campaign Serving your Country” went live on May 22 2017:

• Media: National and local opinion pieces on McDonald’s role, signed by McDonald’s franchisees.

o National-wide media: Press release with launch of the digital report “We’re already pretty diverse – an inspirational report on cohesion, jobs and integration” at gordonken.se.

o Local media: Success stories with employees at McDonald’s.

• Public Affairs: A round table in Parliament with 25 politicians.

The “Serve Your Country” campaign helped raise awareness of the growing polarization on the Swedish labor market by making information, otherwise mostly available as statistics, accessible and relatable to a wider target audience. The initiative highlighted how having a job is crucial in order to be a part of the society and how McDonald’s is a part of the solution by providing jobs and on-the-job-training. The initiative also helped establish McDonald’s position as Sweden’s biggest youth employer and showed how McDonald’s work with recruitment, feedback and leadership in order to turn challenges with diversity and language barriers into a success (the “McDonald’s Model”).

A key objective for the campaign was to inspire more companies to embrace our way of leading and educating young people for a more integrated workplace. In the debate that followed the campaign, it was clear that McDonald’s is best in class.

Reaching all the way up to parliament, our voice was heard in the debate regarding how employers can work with integration. This has also built relations for the future.

Results in numbers:

Earned media: +4,5 million in reach

Social media: +10 million in reach (Sweden has 10 million inhabitants)

Applicants to McDonald’s: +40%

Applicants under 18 years old: +320%

May 22-July 31 2017 compared to the same period 2016

Perception of McDonald’s as a good employer: +29%

Perception of McDonald’s as an ethical and responsible company: +33%

Brand preference: +27%

Source: HOT from May to July 2017 (McDonald’s tracking)

During the current refugee crisis, Sweden has welcomed more refugees per capita than any other European country. This has put a strain on society, dividing an already alienated labor market and making integration the topic that worries Swedes the most. McDonald’s know how to work with recruitment and leadership in order to make integration and diversity work. In fact, it’s a part of the success, with employees from 100 nationalities speaking 60 languages.

How could we reposition McDonald’s from a company known for serving fast food to being a company taking responsibility in integrating people from different parts of society?

We used the following strategy to ensure reaching our objective:

1. Reason to speak: The launch of the report “We’re already pretty diverse – an inspirational report on cohesion, jobs and integration” at gordonken.se, timed with when the Swedish Armed Forces sent out first draft cards.

2. Earn trust: Start a debate trough national and local opinion pieces, signed by the McDonald’s franchisees.

3. Build credibility: Local and national PR how McDonald’s contribute to the Swedish society by proving jobs and on-the-job-training.

4. Influence: Create a dialogue with politicians.

Using the 210 restaurants as a channel for engaging the 430 000 guests visiting McDonald’s every day, the campaign aimed to target the whole population of Sweden, with some choice of media targeting a younger demographics. The campaign also targeted stakeholders and politicians and shared McDonald’s way of working with integration, in order to inspire more organizations and companies to follow.

According to a recent national survey, the social challenges Swedes are most worried about are segregation and youth unemployment. In Sweden, McDonald’s is the biggest private youth employer. And the employees enjoy very good working conditions with pension, insurance and paid vacation. And more, working at McDonald’s is a way to integrate immigrants into the Swedish society, by providing jobs and on-the-job-training.

The brief was to show that McDonald’s is more than a fast food company showing how McDonald’s work with recruitment, feedback and leadership in order to turn challenges with diversity and language barriers into a success.

The objective was to increase brand preference and trust for McDonald’s as a responsible employer and get more young people to apply for jobs, as well as raising the internal pride amongst the employees.