Designing & Prototyping
Multi-Modal Products
for McDonald’s Global Campaign
I led the design & prototype of a McDonald's global campaign concept during my tms 2023 Internship that includes all the customer interaction touchpoints including the digital experience and in-store experience. The solution inspired McDonald's Collector's Meal Campaign in Summer 2024.
Role
Design intern — led concept & prototype
Team
Account · Creative · Finance · Marketing · Strategy
Timeline
tms internship, 2023
Scope
Kiosk · mobile · packaging
Overview
Problem Statement
McDonald's wants to design a campaign that appeals to global Gen-Z customers to:
Drive digital growth for the McDonald’s App globally
Boost store visit frequency and promote add-on items
Increase brand loyalty through creating connections with Gen-Z customers
Design Question
How might we reimagine the Happy Meal to resonate with Gen-Z values across cultures in order to drive digital growth and boost brand engagement leveraging McDonald's generational global influence?
Solution
“Squad Up! Collect, Connect & Win" is a Happy Meal campaign featuring McDonald's favorite menu items from every continent beloved McDonaldland characters that millions of global Gen-Z customers can relate.
Customer gets a peel of a Game Piece with a QR Code from purchasing a Happy Meal.
Redeem the game pieces in the McDonald’s app Squad Up! section to collect a McDonaldland character.
Connect a character in all six continents to redeem prizes.
Trade with "your squad" to complete the whole collection and redeem even bigger prizes.
Deliverables
Digital Experience
An interactive gamified experience built within the McDonald's mobile app
Social media posts template & mockups
In-store Experience
Menu screens for ordering
Food & beverage packaging
Pitch Deck to Stakeholders
Design rationale
Solution Showcase
My Roles
UX Designer & Product Experience Manager
Led the digital experience design and ensure the vertical alignment between in-store experience & digital experience.
Coordinated cross-functional collaboration on project roadmap, business goals, and stakeholder management.
Collaborators (in teams)
Account; Creative; Finance; Marketing; Business Strategists
👀 A Peek of Solution
Digital Experience
Social Media
Initial campaign touchpoint for digital-savvy customers
Attracting customers to explore more in-stores
Set the tone & style for the experience
Including the hashtag to invite further UGC engagement
Gamified Mobile app
Customers continues their journey after dining with McDonald's by playing, collecting items, and winning rewards that worth sharing on social media.
Key Interactions
More Screens
In-Store Experience
Self-Service Kiosk Interface
Non-mobile- ordering in-store customers' first touchpoint
Looped animation attracting customers to order and engage with campaign
Drive-Thru Menu
Non-mobile-ordering drive-thru customers' first touchpoint.
Clear hierarchy, big photos, and bundle call-outs slash decision time and keep the line moving
Window Poster
The first interaction point for customers who did not know about the campaign from elsewhere
A reminder for customers who have known about the campaign
Greeting incoming in-store customers with visuals & keywords related to the campaign to encourage participation will
Special Packaging
Packaging act as another touchpoint to extend the brand engagement and invite users to download the app
Difference from normal packaging, this special packaging creates a sense of exclusivity, luring customers to share on social media
📚 Understanding the Challenge
Background
McDonald's 2023 Grimace Birthday Campaign went viral thanks to a quirky TikTok trend where users pretended the purple Grimace Shake caused horror movie style chaos.
The absurd humor resonated with Gen-Z, driving 2.9B TikTok views and a 10.3% McDonal's U.S. sales boost.
The stakeholders from tms asks the interns to learn from the winning factors of Grimace's Birthday campaign and design a campaign that appeals to global Gen-Z Audience.
Goals
Drive digital growth (downloaded device, % of mobile order, retention rate) for the McDonald’s App globally.
Boost store visit frequency and prompt add-on items resulting in a sale lift
Increase brand loyalty through creating connections with Gen-Z customers
Gen-Z Insights
Nostalgic Vibes
Genuine Connections
Cultural Exploration
Gen-Z
1/2
Connections & Culture
1/4
Nostalgia
1/4
Great Prizes
Top Questions to
Guide the Process
How might we make the campaign adaptive to every region?
What does Gen-Z want from promotions?
What motivates people (customer or not) to voluntarily creating related content and share them on social platforms?
Solution (explained.)
How to Play Squad Up! in Simple Words
Collect
Nostalgic designs and vibes throughout the promotion will catch Gen-Z’s attention.
Connect
Use the QR code within the McDonald’s App to claim your prizes!
Win
Complete the collection to earn prizes. Collect or trade for all variants to unlock food offers and rewards!
Complete User Journey
Discovery
Customers learn about "Squad Up" campaign online or in-restaurant
Engage - PURCHASING SELECTED MEAL TO START the JOURNEY
Customer purchase "Squad Up" meal
Customers find a card with QR-Code on food packaging
Customers scan the QR-Code via phone's camera or McDonald's app
Engage - collect
Customers are taken to the "Squad Up!" game page and randomly get a digital card
Cards collection contains 6 classic nostalgia characters from McDonaldland
Each character could be at a location on 6 continents
Engage - share, trade, & win
Customers can trade their cards with each other users to complete a set via scanning the QR-Code
To redeem rewards, customers want to collect all 6 characters (at any places) or same characters at all 6 locations.
Why "Squad Up!" can be McDonald's Next Viral Campaign
Because
Gen-Z craves for nostalgic vibes & cultural exchange
So, we decide
Featuring historical McDonaldland characters from 70s, going on a global trip
🧩
Game pieces will feature 6 original characters from McDonaldland born in 1970s
Each character with 6 possible background variants from each continent to collect
Because
Gen-Z love collecting items with uncertainty
So, we decide
Reward their loyalties for participating multiple times
✨
Collecting all six background variants for a single character unlocks Collect and Win prizes
Because
Gen-Z love making genuine connections
So, we decide
Make game piece tradable & reward collaborative effort
🤝
Trade extra game pieces with "your squad" no matter where they are
Share personalized QR code on the McDonald’s app
Because
Many Gen-Z don't feel lucky in lottery systems
So, we decide
Multiple ways to win, reward guaranteed
🌍
Collect six stamps in traveler’s passport, when customers try the limited-time global menu items, for additional sweepstakes entries
Why Gen-Z Customers Would Love Engaging with “Squad Up!”
Collect
Peel off game piece that reveals your character and a 1-in-5 chance to Instant Win!
Multiple Ways to Win
With amazing prizes and multiple opportunities to win, Gen-Z will thirst to play.
Working Together
Exchanging cards with friends and building connections around McDonald’s will keep Gen-Z engaged.
Dine On a Global Scale
The opportunity to taste McDonald’s menu items from around the world will satisfy Gen-Z’s desire for exploring other cultural experiences.
Impact
End-of-intern program presentation
Solution Recognized by tms & McDonald's Stakeholders
🏆
Voted the preferred solution by tms and McDonald’s stakeholders, over the other intern team’s concept
came-to-life
The concept went on to shape a real McDonald’s campaign
2024 McDonald's Collector’s Meal
In August 2024, McDonald’s launched the Collector’s Meal, designed and produced by tms.
It celebrated six of McDonald’s best-loved characters and keepsakes.
According to tms staff, its idea, theme and visual style came from Squad Up!, and a member of our intern team went on to work on it.
made in Seattle with ❤️