If the last few years have taught us anything in advertising, it’s that bold simplicity cuts through. That’s exactly the bet McDonald’s and Leo Burnett in the UK are making with its new instalment of the ‘Breakfast, done properly’ platform created with Leo Burnett.
Launching today across the UK and Ireland, the campaign throws out the rulebook — quite literally — by removing all branding, logos and product names, letting its breakfast menu speak for itself.
It’s the latest in a trend of close-up, brandless campaigns that lean into consumer subconscious recognition. We’ve seen it work wonders for Heinz, whose “Trigger the Taste” campaign by Wieden+Kennedy London flaunted macro imagery of ketchup and beans without so much as a label, relying on the universal craving a glistening dollop of red sauce can spark. Pre-launch testing showed more than 70 per cent of viewers still identified the brand — a proof point McDonald’s has doubled down on, with its own Savanta McVue research showing up to 90 per cent of people recognise its breakfast items, branding or not.
Bringing this to life, the campaign features a series of 30″ and 10″ films showcasing McDonald’s Breakfast in its purest, most irresistible form. Set to cinematic music, each film lingers on close-ups of the Sausage & Egg McMuffin, Hash Brown, Egg & Cheese McMuffin and Breakfast Wrap – capturing the distinctive shapes that make McDonald’s Breakfast so iconic. A voiceover explains how McDonald’s Breakfast needs no explanation without ever naming the products or the brand.
The campaign will roll out across TV, OOH, radio, paid social, press, and in-store activations, disrupting media channels with the iconicity of McDonald’s Breakfast.
Across OOH, the campaign takes a minimal yet bold approach, with large, macro images of McDonald’s Breakfast dominating large-scale placements.
Radio executions use evocative language to prompt listeners to picture the breakfast they already have stored deep in their subconscious. “Think of a breakfast muffin with sausage and egg. Yep, that’s the one,” the voiceover coaxes. “Picture it now. Doesn’t it look delicious?” Listeners will be invited to visualise breakfast before stopping short of saying its name or the name of the brand. Because, of course, just from that image in their mind, they already know exactly where it’s from.
A disruptive social strategy will carry looping close-ups across Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat, while in-store screens, Drive-Thru kiosks and CRM push notifications nudge customers at just the right morning moment.
Matthew Reischauer, McDonald’s UK & IE Marketing Director, sums it up: “McDonald’s Breakfast is a morning staple. This campaign is all about celebrating that built-in love, letting the food speak for itself, and reminding everyone why nothing else comes close.”
James Hodson & Jason Keet, Creative Directors, Leo Burnett UK, added: “There’s nothing on earth like a McDonald’s breakfast. You can spot a McMuffin from miles away. Think of a hash brown. We bet it’s a McDonald’s hash brown. So we thought our job was to just get out of the way. No logo. No product names. No catchy copy. Just the shapes and textures that we all know and love.”
The six-week campaign, led by Leo Burnett with media by OMD UK, CRM by TMW and POP by Linney, is a masterclass in brand confidence. In an era where brands are rediscovering the power of restraint, it seems McDonald’s is ready to let breakfast do the talking. Or, in this case, the tempting.
Because if you can picture that hash brown right now, you already know where it’s from.
CREDITS
CAMPAIGN TITLE: ‘Iconic needs no explanation’
CLIENT: McDonald’s
ADVERTISING AGENCY: Leo Burnett
MCDONALD’S
CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER: Ben Fox
MARKETING DIRECTOR: Matthew Reischauer
HEAD OF MARKETING – FOOD AND BEVERAGES: Ben Sherburn
MARKETING MANAGER: Lucy Johnson
SENIOR BRAND MANAGER: Josie Thompson-Green
MARKETING EXECUTIVE: Kai McHugh
CONSUMER INSIGHTS MANAGER: Siddhi Suchak
LEO BURNETT
CCO: Mark Elwood
EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTORS: Andrew Long and James Millers
CREATIVE DIRECTORS: Jason Keet and James Hodson
CREATIVES: Kerry Donnelly and Zoe Davies
DESIGN DIRECTOR: Phil Bosher
DESIGNER: Georgia Glen
PLANNERS: Ipeknaz Erel and Alexandra Arnold-Jones
MANAGING PARTNER: Layla Potter
BUSINESS LEAD: Bella Bertolotti
SENIOR ACCOUNT DIRECTOR: Jessica Lyons
SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER: Natasha Meisel
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE: Zoe Buchalter
SENIOR AGENCY PRODUCER: Jennifer Fewster
MEDIA BUYING AGENCY: OMD
MEDIA PLANNERS: Stephanie Holman, Holly Rosier, Reilly Sadowski-Synnott
AV + MACRO OOHPRODUCTION COMPANY: Darling FilmsDIRECTOR: Scott Grummett
PRODUCTION COMPANY PRODUCER: Kelly Doyle
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Clare Timms
PRODUCTION MANAGER: Michaela Miesen
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Tim Green
EDITOR: Adam Rudd, Whitehouse Post
EDITOR PRODUCER: Annabel Bennett
AUDIO POST-PRODUCTION COMPANY: Harbor
SOUND DESIGN & MIX: George Castle
AUDIO PRODUCER: Hannah Jarrold & Savannah King
POST-PRODUCTION COMPANY: Black Kite Studios
VFX LEAD: Marcus Moffatt
GRADE: George Kyriacou
POST PRODUCTION PRODUCER: Hazel Gibson
MUSIC TRACK FINDER: Native Music
CLEARANCE: Sharpa
VI OOH SHOOT
DESIGN DIRECTOR: Phil Bosher
DESIGNER: Georgia Glen
PROJECT MANAGER: Adrienne Lindeque
PHOTOGRAPHER: TINA HILLAR
REP AGENCY: CRXSS AGENCY
AGENT / PRODUCER: ELENA HUNTLEY
1ST ASSISTANT: SEÁN DONNELLAN
DIGITAL OPERATOR: LEWIS BENCH
DOP: SIMON PAUL
FOCUS PULLER: BERNIN ISAAC
DIT: EWAN MACFARLAN
FOOD STYLIST: UDO REICHELT-SCHAURER
FOOD STYLIST ASSISTANT: OLHA DIACHENKO
PDG PRODUCER: FARAH IKHLAS
MACRO OOH SHOOT
DESIGN DIRECTOR: Phil Bosher
DESIGNER: Georgia Glen
PROJECT MANAGER: Adrienne Lindeque
PHOTOGRAPHER: Scott Grummett
PRODUCTION: Bailey Wade / Darling Films / Prodigious
FOOD STYLIST: Udo Reichlet-Schaurer
FOOD STYLIST ASST: OLHA DIACHENKO
DIGI OP: BEN COLSON
SPARK: ROB STEWART
LIGHTING ASSIST: SAM DEARDEN
