WcDonald’s Anime Promotion

McDonald’s

Product PackagingProduct PackagingGlobalGlobal2024

Campaign Objective

To celebrate anime’s bootleg “WcDonald’s” homage by immersing fans in manga and anime content accessible through packaging scans.

Campaign Story

McDonald’s flipped its logo to “WcDonald’s” across 30 markets, embracing its portrayal in anime. Special manga-themed bags and boxes featured a QR Code linking to a web manga series updated every Monday. Each short anime episode (action, romance, mecha, fantasy) was also released weekly, accessible via the same code or the McDonald’s app. A pop-up “WcDonald’s” restaurant and even a Fortnite tie-in further brought the fictional chain to life.

Execution

Wieden+Kennedy NY created four anime shorts and a manga with Studio Pierrot and artist Acky Bright

Packaging (bags, fry boxes) was redesigned with manga art and a QR Code

Customers scanned the on-pack code to read a new manga chapter or watch a 30-sec anime each week

McDonald’s launched an IRL “WcDonald’s” pop-up and a Fortnite virtual restaurant to extend fan engagement

Social media and press amplified the campaign’s cultural impact.

Campaign Success

Traffic surged to McDonald’s stores; demand for the limited WcDonald’s sauce doubled projections in one week, boosting Chicken McNuggets sales by +8.8%.