Context:
In December 2025, students in my Advertising Copywriting program at Humber College were invited by the advertising agency Cossette to participate in a Quick Brief Challenge. Essentially, we were provided a brief for McDonald's and FIFA and were asked to develop a campaign to address the problem presented to us. We presented our work at Cossette to our peers and a panel of judges from the agency, who provided us with valuable feedback on our campaigns.
Background:
- From June 11 to July 19, 2026, Canada will host the FIFA World Cup for the first time in its history.
- During this period, host cities Toronto and Vancouver are estimated to see an influx of 300,000+ visitors each.
- Given the high ticket/accommodation prices, many will be looking for affordable food options - an opportunity for McDonald's to capture a new audience.
- Competitors such as Tim Hortons, A&W, and Subway will also be looking to capitalize on this opportunity.
Background:
- From June 11 to July 19, 2026, Canada will host the FIFA World Cup for the first time in its history.
- During this period, host cities Toronto and Vancouver are estimated to see an influx of 300,000+ visitors each.
- Given the high ticket/accommodation prices, many will be looking for affordable food options - an opportunity for McDonald's to capture a new audience.
- Competitors such as Tim Hortons, A&W, and Subway will also be looking to capitalize on this opportunity.
The Challenge
How can we make McDonald’s the #1 choice for fans visiting Canada during the FIFA World Cup?
How can we make McDonald’s the #1 choice for fans visiting Canada during the FIFA World Cup?
The Task
To create a compelling, new advertising strategy that makes McDonald’s stand out as the #1 choice for soccer fans visiting Canada during the World Cup.
To create a compelling, new advertising strategy that makes McDonald’s stand out as the #1 choice for soccer fans visiting Canada during the World Cup.
The Target
Travelling football fans aged 18–45 visiting Canada for the World Cup, dealing with high travel and ticket costs, who want to avoid marked-up stadium food and are looking for affordable meals in the host cities.
Travelling football fans aged 18–45 visiting Canada for the World Cup, dealing with high travel and ticket costs, who want to avoid marked-up stadium food and are looking for affordable meals in the host cities.
The Big Idea
Fries = the shared language that unites Soccer fans.
Tagline
Fries = the shared language that unites Soccer fans.
Tagline
Speak Fries
OOH
Experiential
Speak Fries to Me:
Ordering food in a new language can be a stressful experience, and fans visiting Canada may be tempted to avoid the awkward interaction at the counter entirely by using McDonald’s self-checkout terminals. But sports are all about human connection, so let’s get people talking again. With “Speak Fries to Me”, we’ll incentivize fans to show their World Cup ticket or Passport while ordering at the counter for a special discount on McDonald’s fries.
Ordering food in a new language can be a stressful experience, and fans visiting Canada may be tempted to avoid the awkward interaction at the counter entirely by using McDonald’s self-checkout terminals. But sports are all about human connection, so let’s get people talking again. With “Speak Fries to Me”, we’ll incentivize fans to show their World Cup ticket or Passport while ordering at the counter for a special discount on McDonald’s fries.
Penalty Discount Zone:
Penalty shots are a high-tension moment all fans love, even if they might find themselves stress-snacking on the lead-up to the kick. During a World Cup match, if a player lands a penalty kick in a designated zone in the goal, it unlocks a discount for McDonald’s App users, and fans will have more fries to snack on during the next shot.
Penalty shots are a high-tension moment all fans love, even if they might find themselves stress-snacking on the lead-up to the kick. During a World Cup match, if a player lands a penalty kick in a designated zone in the goal, it unlocks a discount for McDonald’s App users, and fans will have more fries to snack on during the next shot.
