A match made in Gen Z heaven. The fast food giant is once again tapping culture to get a toehold among the younger crowd. ADWEEK’s Cydney Lee examines the building blocks (no pun intended) of McDonald’s latest push into culture.
Amid its marketing overhaul, McDonald’s next big meal can be made in the URL and IRL.
Ahead of the release of A Minecraft Movie on April 4, the fast-food chain collaborated with the video game to appeal to Minecraft fans and Golden Arches lovers alike. This is a significant global marketing push for McDonald’s, since Minecraft is one of the most-played video games, with more than 204.3 million active players worldwide, per data from SearchLogistics.
The campaign will extend beyond advertising to include exclusive in-game experiences, custom collectibles, and limited-edition meals. The collab includes offerings for both kids and adults and incorporates elements from the popular game.
The special regular meal – with a choice of a Big Mac or 10-piece chicken McNuggets plus medium fries and a drink – will include one of six limited-edition collectibles inspired by McDonaldland characters and Minecraft elements. Customers can also spice things up with Nether Flame Sauce, an exclusive sauce inspired by Minecraft underworld dimension The Nether.
The Happy Meal version includes the traditional menu items but comes with a film-inspired figurine and a scannable code to unlock in-game experiences and skins in the Minecraft Marketplace.
Behind YouTube’s New Pitch to Secure TV Ad Dollars and Build Brands
The upfronts are coming! (Said with horror or excitement? You let me know).
And YouTube has a new pitch to grab those precious, precious TV ad dollars. ADWEEK’s Bill Bradley spoke with Google’s Sean Downey to dig into the new way YouTube is going to make its play.
YouTube‘s pitch to advertisers is changing heading into the TV upfront, and it doesn’t want marketers to skip its message.
During a recent panel at South by Southwest, YouTuber and “Hot Ones” co-creator Sean Evans lamented how, even today, advertisers need to be told that linear TV viewership isn’t superior to YouTube viewership. And while that may be true for some, according to Sean Downey, president of Americas and global partners at Google, today’s conversations are moving past the point of whether or not YouTube is premium.
“Advertisers understand it now. I think two years ago, we had to have that conversation, and we had to talk about what was premium,” Downey said.
Droga5 Has a Plan to Regain Its Creative Edge
The Accenture-owned agency is bracing for a new era under new leadership–and it’s not looking backward
L to R: Emma Montgomery, global chief strategy officer; Scott Bell, CCO; Mark Green, global CEO; Choima Aduba, president, NY; Pele Sjoenell, global CCO
It’s taken time for Droga5 to find its footing since Accenture acquired the business in 2019.
However, it has entered 2025 with a fresh resolve to embrace its positioning under global CEO Mark Green. So far, it has refilled its leadership bench and brought on 17 new clients, including Xbox, Tourism Australia, HP, Bosch, and more.
ADWEEK’s executive editor Alison Weissbrot sat down with Green and other members of Droga5’s leadership to unpack how the storied agency is embracing its future as it aims to move on from the burden of its past success.
Back in the 2010s, Droga5 was flying high.
The agency had risen to icon status with groundbreaking work for clients like Under Armour, The New York Times, Puma, and Microsoft, scooping countless awards at all the major ad festivals. Founder David Droga transcended his Australian roots to become one of the most globally venerated creatives of the decade–possibly the 21st century.
In 2019, that prestige paid off with a blockbuster $475 million acquisition by consulting giant Accenture, putting Droga5 at the center of a new marketing offering from one of the most deep-pocketed companies in the U.S. By 2020, ADWEEK named Droga5 its first Agency of the Decade.
However, it has taken time for Droga5 to find its footing under its new owner.
How Immersive Shopping Will Transform Ecommerce
Navigating the new retail landscape
The way consumers shop is evolving rapidly, with trends like in-game shopping, generative AI-powered services, and 3D website experiences reshaping their expectations. However, many brands struggle to deliver the interactive, seamless shopping experiences that most shoppers, especially Gen Z, now demand from online and in-store experiences.
Infinite Reality’s new report, “Retail’s Next Frontier,” is based on proprietary research that dives into these shifting expectations, offering actionable insights into shopping attitudes and the rise of immersive shopping. Discover what brands can do to bolster customer engagement and drive better outcomes while learning what motivates today’s shoppers and how to adapt to changing demands.
Insights include:
- Online vs. in-store: Online shopping is often preferred due to its convenience; however, the inability to directly interact with products is online shopping’s top disadvantage.
- Virtual interactions: 66% of consumers are ready to explore immersive shopping experiences, with interest in augmented and mixed reality services.
- Improvements wanted: To boost satisfaction, shoppers want more advanced filtering/sorting tools, clear product specs, and more reviews from real people.
The time is now to embrace new technologies and reimagine online shopping.
