McDonald’s Spotlights Gen Z Crew to Silence the ‘Lazy’ Narrative
McDonald's UK & Ireland has launched a new integrated campaign celebrating its young employees and shining a spotlight on the role of the business in creating jobs and upskilling people across the country, at a time when belief in job opportunity for UK youth is at an all-time low.
The campaign represents the biggest investment in trust building ATL in recent years by the brand with media being activated across the full channel mix. The campaign will run in two phases of media from 15th March until the end of April, and then again in the summer.
McDonald’s is one of the UK’s biggest employers of young people, with over 100,000 under 25 and one in three managers under the age of 25. This campaign holds a mirror up to the achievements of those young crew and celebrates the skills they learn, the responsibility they have in the restaurant, and the belief McDonald’s has in them to deliver under pressure, every day.
The creative construct is built around the tension that, whilst society at large often dismisses young people and reduces them to stereotypes - lazy, unable to communicate - McDonald’s sees their potential and recognises that they are essential in the running of thousands of businesses in communities and on high streets up and down the UK & Ireland.
Filmed in a documentary style, the campaign features real crew members filmed in their own restaurants, using handheld cameras and a ‘fly-on-the-wall' production style to authentically capture a shift taking place. The creative focuses on the core skills young people build at McDonald’s – confidence, communication, teamwork, leadership, determination, and resilience.
The TVCs - four films of four stories - follow young crew members whose actions on shift dismantle familiar negative tropes about gen z workers. They all open with a voiceover of ‘authority’ undermining young workers, until it’s broken by the actions of a young crew member working to disprove the statement. The intended result? Reappraisal by the naysayers, and pride from McDonald’s crew in the accomplishments achieved every day.
The creative direction reflects the brands’ ongoing commitment to helping every young person make it whilst showcasing the realities of restaurant life through real people, real stories and being unashamedly McDonald’s.
Ben Fox, SVP and chief marketing officer, McDonald’s UK & Ireland, said, “We often hear many unfair stereotypes about young people, but we are really proud of the young people working in our restaurants, who are fundamental to keeping them running successfully. A staggering one in three managers is under 25! We’re showing real crew members in real restaurant situations and letting them do the storytelling. You can see what we see every day in our restaurants, that young people today truly have far more potential than they are often given credit for. Where some see stereotypes, we see potential!
“The job environment for young people is tough right now, we see young people struggling with a lack of opportunity and we want to address that. We want to show everyone what it is like to work in McDonald’s, highlighting the workplace skills that can be learnt and nurtured. This shows our long-term belief in, and commitment to helping young people across the UK and Ireland to make it with McDonald’s.”
Mark Elwood, chief creative officer, Leo UK, said, “Where others may see stereotypes, we see communication, resilience, confidence, and teamwork, learned through hard work, shift-by-shift. That’s why we chose a documentary approach to the work. Real crews, real restaurants, handheld cameras, shot on film. By letting moments unfold naturally, the films celebrate the skills young people are building and the pride they take in doing the job well. This work is raw, unfiltered, and unashamedly McDonald’s.”
This initial burst of advertising will prime audiences for a big announcement from the business coming this spring on how it will be building on its long history of providing opportunities for young people.
