McDonald's Unveils Its New 'Big Arch' Burger

Leo Burnett UK and McDonald’s are officially welcoming a new icon to the menu. The Big Arch is stacked with two 100% British and Irish beef patties, topped with white cheddar slices, crispy onions, fresh onions, shredded lettuce, crunchy pickles and smothered in the new signature Big Arch sauce. 

The new global creative platform, developed by Leo Burnett UK for all markets, is centered around the fan truth that there are times when you’re hungry for McDonald’s and there are times when you’re really hungry for McDonald’s. This feeling of ‘Big McDonald’s Hunger’ unites fans all across the world, and now with the Big Arch there is finally a product on the menu to satisfy it. Following rollouts across Europe, the UK leg involves a nation takeover spanning social, organic social, OOH, TV, cinema, radio, in-restaurant, CRM and PR.

The campaign is underpinned by a bold new visual identity by Leo Burnett’s studio, POPDesign. From packaging to OOH to in-restaurant displays, every brand touchpoint has been crafted to reflect the burger’s scale and boldness, making the Big Arch instantly recognisable and ‘unmistakably McDonald’s’ to fans across the globe.  

Leading up to the launch, a series of intriguing teases kickstarted the ‘Big McDonald’s Hunger’ pangs in customers across the UK. On social, extra big McDelivery and Takeaway bags arrived on doorsteps stamped with the launch date (18.06.25), generating over four million views, whilst CRM emails, managed by TMW, shook, rumbled and collapsed to reveal the Big Arch’s debut.  

On launch day, Leo Burnett will drop a 30s film titled ‘Rumble’, bringing ‘Big McDonald’s Hunger’ to life through a sound everyone recognises: a stomach rumble. Shot by renowned director Eric Wareheim, the spot follows a man at work experiencing Big McDonald’s Hunger. A small but relatale stomach rumble suddenly grows into something much and bigger and more iconic, shaking the table, then the whole office, before settling once his hunger is satisfied by the Big Arch. Taking this iconic rumble sound further, a geo-targeted audio sync strategy will retarget people who’ve seen OOH with stomach rumble audio when near a McDonald’s restaurant, doubling temptation and drive-to-restaurant.

Alongside this, a suite of delicious food focused films shot by McDonald’s long term collaborator Joy Kilpatrick will showcase the new ingredients with the playful tone of voice that captures the essence of Big McDonald’s Hunger. 

Meanwhile, the mysterious new Big Arch sauce gets its own social spotlight. PR and social content will tease the sauce’s flavour profile, with blurred visuals, behind-the-scenes footage, and co-creation with fans to guess-the-flavour help turn it into a not-so-secret hero.

The campaign is supported by a national OOH and in-restaurant media plan, with tactical placements by OMD designed to hit fans in peak hunger moments. Large-format OOH and special builds roll out across key locations, including a mural in Glasgow, and contextual takeovers around events like Glastonbury Festival. As festivalgoers begin their long journey home, McDonald’s will dominate roadside sites, service stations and coach hubs with creative designed to feed hunger and the craving for something proper. 

PR activations by Red Consultancy will target summer hotspots across the UK with McDonald’s pop-ups serving up the Big Arch in real time. Each pop-up will include refreshment booths, phone-charging points, chill zones and branded giveaways, designed to help fans recharge appetite and energy echoing the Big Arch’s ability to deeply satisfy.

Across radio, McDonald’s will roll out a 20” spot built around the hunger rumble. The brand will also team up with TalkSport for contextual audio drops during the Women’s Euros, tapping into summer-of-sport moments with timely hunger pangs. Digital display formats and contextual press placements are designed to meet our fans in culture, from sport to festivals. 

Influencer activity includes a PR collaboration with the Archbishop of Banterbury and TikToker Kobie in a new series that will share the pen with fans, uncovering their own Big McDonald’s Hunger moments and give the opportunity to try the Big Arch. Meanwhile, darts prodigy Luke Littler will share how his hunger fuels big moments, on and off the oche. 

James Millers and Andrew Long, Executive Creative Directors, Leo Burnett UK, said: “Made to satisfy those relatable moments of Big McDonald’s Hunger, Big Arch is here to shake up the burger category - literally. It’s not everyday you get to launch a new icon on McDonald’s menu and we’ve had a blast meeting our fans in culture and awakening that unmistable craving for McDonald’s across the globe. From boardrooms to festival grounds, this campaign shows how a simple fan truth can move people…and tables.”

Ben Fox, Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, McDonald’s UK & IE, added: “The Big Arch is the most exciting burger we’ve launched in a generation, a future classic, giving customers exactly what they’ve been asking for… 2x  juicy, 100% British and Irish Beef patties, cheddar cheese, crispy onions and a new signature Big Arch sauce. The Big Arch is the perfect solution for those moments of ‘Big McDonald’s hunger’. It is a two handed, multi napkin experience. As a Big Mac fan, it takes a lot to tempt me away from my favourite, but the Big Arch and its signature sauce certainly does.”

Credits:

CAMPAIGN TITLE: Big Arch, For Big McDonald’s Hunger

CLIENT: McDonald’s UK & IE

ADVERTISING AGENCY:  Leo Burnett UK

CCO: Mark Elwood

EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Andrew Long & James Millers

CREATIVE: Zoe Davies & Kerry Donnelly

CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF DESIGN: Dave Allen

LEAD DESIGNER: Harry Ingrams

MOTION DESIGNER: Bey Redding-O’Brien

STUDIO DIRECTOR: Richard Pettiford

DEPUTY CSO: Tom Sussman

STRATEGY DIRECTOR: Ipeknaz Erel

HEAD OF ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT: Steph Bates

ACCOUNT DIRECTOR: Nicola Kuan

ACCOUNT MANAGER: Dominic Thomas

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE: Lani Lawrence

SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER: Laura Taylor

HEAD OF MCDONALDS PRODUCTION: Anna Cartwright

PRODUCER (Food): Madeleine Dunna

RADIO PRODUCER: Adam Furman

SOCIAL

CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Ben Hooper

CONTENT CREATIVES: Simon Mana, Shanice Baker

CONTENT PRODUCER: Ariana Balsaras

CONTENT DESIGNER: Cherie Waugh & Hannah Lacey

TVC

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Pretty Bird

DIRECTOR: Eric Wareheim

EDITOR: Rick Russell

POST-PRODUCTION PRODUCER: Hazel Gibson @ Black Kite 

COLOURIST: George K @ Black Kite

VFX SUPERVISOR: Jonny Freeman

VFX LEAD: Matt Hutchins

VFX ARTIST: Lysa Cornic

VFX SHOOT SUPERVISOR: Tito Fernandes

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Hazel Gibson

PRODUCTION COORDINATOR: Reece Whiteley

AUDIO POST-PRODUCTION COMPANY: String & Tins
SOUND ENGINEER: Adam Smyth

ADDITIONAL SOUND DESIGN: Mike Bamford @mikebamford303

AUDIO PRODUCER: Esi Jonuzi @_jonsey

AUDIO POST-PRODUCTION COMPANY (Food): 750 mph
SOUND ENGINEER: Giselle Hall

AUDIO PRODUCER: Robby Stone

MUSIC COMPOSITION: Massive Music

UK MEDIA BUYING AGENCY: OMD

UK PR AGENCY: RED Consultancy

UK CRM AGENCY: TMW

UK BTL/IN-RESTAURANT: Linney

McDonald’s UK:

CHIEF MARKETING OFFICE, S.V.P: Ben Fox

MARKETING DIRECTOR: Matt Reischauer

HEAD OF MARKETING FOOD & BEVERAGES: Ben Sherburn

MARKETING MANAGER: Jo Conlon

MARKETING MANAGER (SOCIAL): Ana Saffer

SENIOR BRAND MANAGER: Alexandra Martin & Amber Myers

CAMPAIGN ASSISTANT: Dina Shalaby

McDonald’s Global:

GLOBAL CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER: Morgan Flatley

VP GLOBAL BRAND LEADERSHIP: Erwin Dito

GLOBAL SENIOR DIRECTOR: Ryan Galili

GLOBAL BRAND MARKETING: Karen Adland

McDonald’s France:

CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER: Jean-Guillaume Bertola

MARKETING DIRECTOR: Clement Brossard

MANAGER FOOD & STRATEGIC ALLIANCES: Clémentine Teissedre Dalou

PROJECT LEADER: Elisa Pereira, Anouk Micol