McDonald’s Urges Fans To Break Routine With McCrispy

McDonald’s is putting its chicken credentials centre stage with a new campaign by Leo UK, encouraging fans to ditch their usual order and betray their go-to for the McCrispy.

Launching from 20th April across the UK and Ireland, ‘McCrispy. Betray Your Go-To.’ is a fully integrated campaign spanning TV, social, OOH, radio, CRM and influencer partnerships, designed to challenge one of the brand’s biggest behavioural truths, that once people find their order, they rarely change it.

Despite being one of the UK’s biggest sellers of chicken, McDonald’s isn’t always top of mind for chicken. This campaign aims to change that, starting with its premium offering, the McCrispy, and an expanded range including the Spicy McCrispy and Cheese and Bacon McCrispy.

The campaign, led by Leo’s creative directors James Hodson and Jason Keet, dramatises the act of betrayal to shake people out of autopilot and position the McCrispy as so irresistible, it can convince people to turn their backs on their usual order.

At the heart of the campaign are a series of films directed by GRAMDMAS that bring this inner conflict to life, launching from 21st April, with food-led AV following from 4th May. In the two spots, a fan face an inner struggle when tempted to change their order. Across each execution, their inner battle is interrupted mid-flow by the disruptive crunch of the McCrispy, signaling the final decision in favour of McCrispy.

The campaign extends beyond traditional formats into culture, with a social-first layer built around creator-led microdramas launching from May. Designed as episodic, snackable content, the series fuels cultural conversation while positioning the McCrispy as the nation’s new “go-to.”

OOH executions bring the idea of betrayal into the real world through nationwide placements and flyposting special builds, which tell the nation to betray their go-to with oversized typography and simple product shots reinforcing the act of switching allegiance.

The campaign also features a hero event at Fnatic HQ in Dalston. Designed as a celebration of McCrispy fandom, the event invites creators, media and fans to experience the new range firsthand, on the condition that their plus-one is willing to betray their usual order. Featuring a McFleet food truck serving the new McCrispy range and a content-led programme built for social, the event is designed to fuel further conversation and demonstrate why the McCrispy deserves to become the nation’s new go-to.

The campaign is also supported by a nationwide CRM rollout and in-restaurant activity, ensuring the experience of “betrayal” continues through to the point of purchase, nudging customers to reconsider their usual order in real time.

Running for seven weeks, the campaign marks the start of a longer-term platform for the McCrispy, as McDonald’s looks to redefine its role in the chicken category.

‘McCrispy. Betray Your Go-To. is a collaboration by McDonald’s agency partners: creative was handled by Leo UK, while the VI and new brand world was created by Leo’s in-house design studio, PopDesign. Media planning and buying was managed by OMD. PR, event and influencer management was handled by Red Consultancy. CRM was handled by TMW, in-restaurant and POP Communications were handled by Linney.

James Hodson, creative director, Leo UK added: “Everyone has a go-to order. Whatever it is, it’s with you for life. “Betray your go-to” is all jolting people out of their autopilot to consider the McCrispy. The campaign takes a universal truth and challenges it in a playfully rebellious way, just as creativity should.”

CREDITS

Client: McDonald’s

Marketing Director: Hannah Pain

Marketing Manager: Emma O’Neill

Senior Brand Manager: Amber Myers

Campaign Assistant: Amelia Haywood

Creative Agency: Leo UK

CCO: Mark Elwood

ECD: Andrew Long

CDs: James Hodson & Jason Keet

Senior Creatives: Holly Henderson & Georgia Horrocks

Head of Strategy: Joe Beveridge

Senior Strategist: Annie Lim

Business Director: Bella Bertolotti

Account Director: Lauren Murphy

Senior Account Manager: Chloe Veal

Account Executive: Elizabeth Makinde

Senior Project Manager: Adrienne Broadhead

Head of Production: Anna Cartwright

Food AV Producer: Kinga Lily

Studio Director: Ricky Pettiford and Ethan Lynton

Design Director: Harry Ingrams

Lead Motion Designer: Laura Franx

AV Production:

Brand AV

Directors: GRANDMAS

Producer: Kishan Patel

Exec Producer: Darapen Vongsa-Nga

Production Manager: Ria Hanish-Oakes

Production Assistants: Louis Jones, Dara Phillips

DOP: Nico Poulsson

1st AD: Julian Higgs

Production Designer: Mikey Hollywood

Costume Designer: Katie McGoldrick

Hair & Makeup: Phoebe Llewellyn

Gaffer: Craig Davis

Sound: Stephen Hodge

Food AV

Still Production:

Food AV Production

Director: Scott Grummett

Exec Producer: Clare Timms

Production Manager: Lilly Nesbitt

DOP: Tim Green

1st AD: Rob Thorpe

Production Designer: Ashleigh Latter

Food Stylist: Elaine Ngan

Assistant Food stylist: Michaella Collins

Gaffer: Steve Finberg

Editor: Adam Rudd

Post Production Food:

VFX Studio: Harbor Picture Company

Colourist: Karol Cybulski

VFX Supervisor(s):

VFX Artist(s):

VFX Producer(s): Sarah Maerz

VFX Production Coordinator(s):

Media: OMD

PR & Influencer: Red Consultancy

CRM: TMW

POP & In-restaurant: Linney

Sound:

Sound House: Harbor Picture Company

Sound Design and Mix: George Castle, Tom Keats

Audio Producer: Phoebe Baltazar

Post Production:

VFX Studio: Black Kite Studios

Colourist: George Kyriacou

VFX Supervisor(s): James Belch & Ian Baxter

VFX Artist(s): Adam Walker, Antoine Declaud, Carlos Nieto, David Loh, Emily Govinden, George Brunt, Laurence Lavoie, Martin Villert, Rémy Herissé, Sandra Guarda, Sith Khay, Sophie Langton,Tom Cowlishaw

VFX Senior Producer(s):Hannah Jarrod

VFX Production Coordinator(s):Leanne Gillett Finglas