McDonald’s Canada Invites Canadians to Rest at the Essential Pit Stop

McDonald’s Canada is leveraging road trips and weekend getaways to take over billboards across the country. In its ultra-personalised, road trip-themed signage campaign entitled The Essential Pit Stop, the world’s largest restaurant chain is inviting vacationers to take a well-deserved break on their way from point A to point B.

“McDonald’s is always a go-to on the road, an indispensable partner for family adventures and getaways with friends,” says Alyssa Buetikofer, chief marketing officer at McDonald’s Canada. 

Each disarmingly simple visual uses a strategic piece of the famous Golden Arches to tell a story related to a favourite destination of Canadians. Located in Alberta, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec and Vancouver, the series of billboards position McDonald’s as the road-trip partner of choice, no matter where people are headed. Executions vary from simple contextual stories when heading to cottage country to specific rendezvous like music festivals.

“In a way, the campaign picks up where Follow the Arches left off a few years ago,” says Cédric Audet, creative director at Cossette. “There are infinite opportunities for short and playful three-word stories and for them to be adapted to different specific parts of the country - and even the world. But most importantly, they speak directly to road travellers through a unique McDonald’s fan experience.”

Developed in partnership with Cossette, the campaign has been underway since July and will continue to run until early September.