McDonald’s Ignites Frenzy with McSpicy x Frank’s RedHot Collaboration

The campaign, created by Leo Burnett, aims to garner excitement for the collaboration, offering an exclusive taste of the chicken burger before its official release

By creative salon

31 January 2024

McDonald’s and Frank’s RedHot have joined forces to create the ultimate chicken burger. To mark the collaboration, Leo Burnett, in partnership with Red Consultancy, have created ‘the hottest drop’, giving spice loving chicken fans a chance to get their hands on this limited-edition burger first through exclusive early-access tasting boxes. The integrated campaign teases a passcode to the drop site - GetMeAMcSpicyFranksRedHotTastingBox.net - across social executions, fly-poster inspired OOH and in-restaurant radio.

The FOMO-inspiring social film was created in partnership with Fred Rowson from Blink Productions. Interrupting McDonalds’ social feed with a very important announcement, the spot begins with spicy chicken connoisseur, Tanya, in her influencer style studio covered top to bottom in McSpicy x Frank’s RedHot merch and branding. She gives a glowing review of the McSpicy x Frank’s RedHot burger, before offering a subtle clue to help fans get their hands on the pre-launch drop. The film was developed in partnership with the Diversity Standards Collective.

Leo Burnett will also drive excitement for the collaboration through cryptic outdoor ads. Viewers will be able to access the hottest drop website by entering a secret code which has been leaked and pasted across ‘red hot’ out of home posters, emblazoned with flame imagery.

Those who miss the hottest drop don’t need to worry, as the McSpicy x Frank’s RedHot arrives at McDonald’s on 7 February and will be supported by a dedicated launch campaign across TV, broadcast AV, OOH, radio and social.

Ben Sherburn, Head of Marketing - Food & Beverages at McDonald’s UK & Ireland, said: “McDonald’s and Frank’s RedHot are two iconic brands coming together for an exciting sauce collaboration, firmly cementing our spice credentials in the chicken space. Our approach for this campaign was to engage fans of both brands by tapping into the feeling of drop culture through a fun, interactive campaign.”

Al Thaker, Flavour Solutions Marketing Director & Agnieszka Witczak UK Consumer Marketing Director at McCormick & Company added: “We are very excited about this Frank’s RedHot x McSpicy collaboration with McDonald’s! Adding Frank’s RedHot Mayo to the iconic McSpicy burger will bring the perfect blend of flavour and heat to the McDonalds menu.”

Andrew Long and James Millers, creative partners at Leo Burnett UK, commented: “McSpicy and Frank’s RedHot are both iconic products with strong Gen Z appeal. So, to mark the launch of this epic collab, we wanted to tap into a trend that fans of both brands could enjoy. Bringing the exclusivity of drop culture to the masses, in a way that feels true to the audience yet unashamedly populist.”