McDonald's Resurrects Its Dedicated Filet-O-Fish Fandom

The revival of its Filet-O-Fish Facebook group, with help from Leo Burnett, spotlights the overlooked item

By Creative Salon

30 June 2025

McDonald’s are playfully reviving an old Facebook group from 2012 dedicated to the Filet-O-Fish®️, to celebrate the product’s often overlooked fandom.

The Filet-O-Fish® is a McDonald’s menu item that is often overlooked, despite having a die-hard following.

One of those die-hard fans set up a Facebook group dedicated to Filet-O-Fish® in 2012. Sadly, it did not catch on, amassing only 6 followers. But now, 13 years later, McDonald’s are reviving this group with the goal of making it the success it always should have been.

In partnership with Leo UK, McDonald’s are throwing the full weight of the brand behind The Filet-O-Fish®Facebook Society of 2012, advertising it in the real world with CRM, OOH, national press, stunts and paid social. All in order to rally a passionate army of Filet-O-Fish® fans to one place, giving this previously overlooked fandom somewhere to connect and share their love for their favourite fish-in-a-bun.

After reviving the group and building momentum among fans growing from 6 members to 5,800 and counting, McDonald’s is officially celebrating the group with the first-ever McDonald’s National Filet-O-Fish® Day (1st July) and much-requested Double Filet-O-Fish® in its honour. To celebrate the highly anticipated Double Filet-O-Fish®, fans are gifted with a one-day-only offer: pricing the sandwich at £2 on the McDonald’s app; the price of a single Filet-O-Fish® when the Facebook group was created in 2012.

The campaign, which celebrates the sandwich’s cult following and internet subculture, began by resurrecting The Filet-O-Fish® Facebook Society of 2012 and bringing back the long-retired McDonald’s mascot, Phil A. O’ Fish, to lead the charge. Created in 1975, and turning fifty this year, he’s helping the campaign the only way he knows how: by jumping onto Facebook. From sparking conversation in the comments, giving away fish-themed merch, to redesigning the group’s banner and logo, and blowing it up with OOH and ads in The Sun and Metro, Phil has set out to make the group “the swim-away success it was always destined to be” by providing a home for the cult-like Filet-O-Fish® fanbase. In response, Filet-O-Fish® fans nationwide have flooded the group with content, co-creating with McDonald’s to share their love. One fan even penned a Filet-O-Fish® poem, which McDonald’s quickly turned into the group’s very own official sea shanty.

Across CRM by TMW and designs by Leo UK, fans were teased with nostalgic creative nods to Facebook circa 2012, while top Filet-O-Fish® customers received exclusive invites and group merch ahead of the launch. Paid social kicked in on 25th June, driving new members to join the Filet-O-Fish® Facebook Society of 2012, and paid media went live in national press on 26th June.

On 26th June, Phil A. O’ Fish officially unveiled the Double Filet-O-Fish to the Facebook group, calling it ‘The big thank you to all these fans who have called for this. It’s the power of your fandom that made it possible!”

Through Ready 10’s PR campaign, influencers received bespoke PR boxes complete with merch and a first taste of the Double Filet-O-Fish®. The group’s fandom snowballed quickly throughout the week; a rogue Filet-O-Fish Society flag was even spotted waving from the Glastonbury crowd. The group sparked an outpouring of genuine love for the Filet-O-Fish® from fans all over the UK, with fans sharing stories and their favourite Filet-O-Fish® hacks, resulting in over 8500 comments and reactions within the group. OOH featuring 2012 computer screen interfaces introduced the Society to untapped audiences, with impactful placements across London by OMD.

On 1st July, McDonald’s is celebrating National Filet-O-Fish® Day both in-store and across social platforms. Restaurants across the UK are hosting takeovers whilst further CRM activity, emails and out-of-home billboards will personally thank loyal Filet-O-Fish fans.

McDonald’s even enlisted real-life etiquette expert Grant Harrold (The Royal Butler) to provide a tongue-in-cheek elocution lesson on how to correctly order the Filet-O-Fish® sandwich - Fil-lay-o-Fish or Fil-let-o-Fish?

The campaign was a cross-agency and client collaboration: Leo UK led creative, digital and social, Ready10 handled PR, OMD UK managed all media buying and planning, Linney managed all BTL/POP communications and CRM was handled by TMW.

James Millers and Andrew Long, Executive Creative Directors, Leo UK, said:
“We’re always looking for ways to meet our fans in culture and co-create with them. This small corner of the Internet dedicated to McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish® perfectly captured the passionate but often overlooked fandom the iconic product has. Reviving the group to give Filet-O-Fish® lovers the moment they’ve been waiting twelve years for was a no brainer, and they’ve shown up in force.”

Matt Reischauer, Marketing Director, McDonald’s UK, said: “The Filet-O-Fish® is an unsung hero on our menu... holding a special place in the hearts of its very loyal fans. You know who you are. With Leo UK, we’ve finally given the Filet and its fans the limelight they deserve. From a Facebook group revival to the launch of the delicious Double Filet-O-Fish®, this campaign proves how a small yet mighty fanbase can become something much bigger.”

Credits:

CAMPAIGN TITLE: ‘McDonald’s National Filet-O-Fish Day’

CLIENT: McDonald’s UK

ADVERTISING AGENCY: Leo UK

CCO: Mark Elwood

EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Andrew Long & James Millers

CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Jason Keet & James Hodson

CREATIVE: Lucy Jones & Chaz Mather

CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF DESIGN: Dave Allen

LEAD DESIGNER: Karolina Alvekrans

STUDIO DIRECTOR: Richard Pettiford

SOCIAL STRATEGY DIRECTOR: Benjamin Obadia