The Last Straw is an example of how a company's milestone such as the withdraw of single use plastic (like plastic straws) can be exploited in terms of communication to help modify positively the state of opinion of certain attributes of a brand. In this case, image attributes related to the campaign improved significantly after the activation.

This project shows how new ways of communicating can contribute to promote a positive conversation environment that contributes to brand building. A communication that moves away from traditional standards to go beyond the transmission of a message and involve the consumer.

In 2019, the brand conducted, in collaboration with IPSOS, a reputation study to detect the variables that consumers considered most relevant when assessing the responsibility of brands in the restaurant sector. In this study, the reduction of packaging waste was ranked as the third most important variable for consumers.

Despite the fact that the brand has been implementing environmental measures for more than two decades, the studies indicated that consumers still do not perceive this effort to its full extent, especially with regard to the reduction of plastics.

It was therefore urgent to communicate the company's efforts as a responsible brand committed to the environment.

The objective was twofold: to communicate the brand's sustainability commitments and to create and promote a collaborative movement in favor of the environment and the fight against climate change involving all the stakeholders.

In order to develop a notorious action to communicate the brand's sustainability strategy, we decided to start precisely from the strategy itself. The most immediate milestone was the withdrawal of plastic straws in all restaurants in Spain.

Plastic straws had been on the spotlight for some time. They had become a negative symbol of climate change. There was a huge challenge: could we turn a plastic straw into something valuable, a collector's item turning it into a symbol of the brand's commitment?

The plastic straw became the hook we were looking for. An object with an expiration date which would disappear forever; an object that, after millions of samples produced, would have one last version: the last plastic straw. To give the value we wanted society to give it, we decided that the communication excuse would be to auction it. And, of course, to do it in a big way.

We decided to take a humble starting point launching a collaborative movement to promote a positive change of habits for the planet, capable of encompassing all the brand's future communication campaigns related to sustainability.

Once the movement was created, the next step was to build a visible action to communicate the sustainability strategy to the institutions, stakeholders and society as a whole, making a symbol of it: the auction of the last plastic straw. We decided to reveal it by surprise, at an event where the sustainability strategy would be presented to We decided to reveal it by surprise, at an event in which the brand would present its sustainability strategy, held in one of the company's most emblematic establishments, covered in recycled cardboard that would remain open to the public temporarily and would later be recycled to create 12 works of art and a mural by three renowned artists.

We created a valuable symbol, auctioning the last plastic straw of the brand in Spain. We certified before a notary that it belonged to the last batch received and we framed it for the occasion, and to increase its social value we would give all benefits from its sale to the brand's Foundation for charity.

The auction, active on Ebay for a week, was presented as the symbol of the brand's commitment during the presentation event of its sustainability strategy, which took place in a brand establishment completely covered with recycled cardboard for the occasion. The event was held separetly with three different audiences: press-institutions; franchisees-employees-suppliers; and influencers-KOLs.

All the cardboard from the event was recycled into 12 works of art and a mural by three renowned artists (Julio Falagán, Cinta Arribas and Cless), and exhibited to coincide with the Great Art's Week in Madrid.

The auction went viral, reaching a final bid over 50,000 euros. The PR strategy allowed the brand's sustainability strategy to be placed on the social and media agenda:

200 pieces of earned media coverage in 30 Tier 1 media for McDonald's

187 million people audience

Over 2.1 million euros EPV

95% neutral-positive tone.

The campaign spread along social media like no other sustainability campaign in the QSR sector had ever achieved so far:

5.9 million impressions

3.4 million unique users impact

Over 490,000 interactions

On the perception of the brand's attributes we achieved within a month a rise of two points in perception as an ethical-responsible company (double what it had risen in one year),, and consumer confidence rose one point as well during this period.

Although we didn't pursue a rise in sales, they were 13.4% higher the following month than previous year.