Why McDonald’s Canada and Lil Yachty Remixed an ‘80s Classic
Here’s a little piece of history for you. In 1989, McDonald’s launched one of the original viral campaigns, which happened to be called the ‘Menu Song’. Featuring a guy ordering the entire menu in under 30 seconds - while singing, of course - it’s something that to this day, people have been remixing and using to make their orders a little more exciting, or, usually, social media-worthy.
With that in mind, McDonald’s Canada and partner creative agency Cossette realised it was high time an official release be put back on the menu, and so the two got down to work, seeking to remix the ‘80s classic and get the world singing again.
As it turned out, the answer was right in front of them, with a former McDonald’s employee-turned-well-known American rapper - Lil Yachty - being eager to take the lead role. Produced with Circle Films, the result was an epic music video remix featuring iconic items, that walked the line perfectly between being nostalgic enough for gen x, and being relevant enough for gen z.
Moreover, ‘The Menu Song Remix’ campaign also saw the brand really lean into the term ‘remix’, as McDonald’s released a brand new, limited-time menu featuring remixed classics like the Chicken Cheeseburger, Apple Pie McFlurry, and the Chicken Big Mac.
To learn just what it took to bring this all to life, LBB’s Jordan Won Neufeldt sat down with Cossette executive creative director Andrew Chisholm, and McDonald’s Canada’s marketing director brand strategy and content, Rebecca Smart, for a chat.
LBB> A McDonald’s-Lil Yachty collaboration is awesome! Creatively, how did this come to pass, and what was the brief?
Rebecca> Lil Yachty and McDonald’s go way back - he was a crew member at a McDonald’s in the US when he was younger. So, he was our top choice when we first started talking about remixing the original 1989 ‘Menu Song’. Not only does he have a connection to the brand, but we knew he’d bring the right personality and energy to the song, and put his own twist on it.
Andrew> We concur! He was our first choice and we didn’t waiver once. With his influence on pop culture and his style, which always seems to surprise and evolve, we thought he was the perfect fit to reboot this piece of McDonald’s history.
Our brief to him was pretty simple: ‘Be yourself, and let’s pay homage to this 1989 classic for the next generation of McDonald’s fans’.
LBB> Specifically, why was now the right time to bring back the 'Menu Song', and why was this something you wanted to do?
Andrew> Singing the McDonald’s menu is actually a huge phenomenon with gen z fans on social. So, giving a nod to the original in this campaign wasn’t so much motivated by a calendar window, but rather one of those, ‘We gotta do something with this’ ideas. There’s never a wrong time for one of those.
Rebecca> The new take on the track revives the iconic fan song that celebrates McDonald’s Canada’s new and classic menu items in a modern way. We wanted to get the world singing about our menu again, in a way that’s relevant for our fans today. This time around, we wanted to do it as a true collaboration between our fans and a beloved, culturally-relevant artist.
We saw an opportunity to combine the power of nostalgia with the power of culture through these artist collaborations to bring the song to life for the next generation.
LBB> Creating a music video to promote restaurant offerings isn’t something that’s done every day. As such, what was the writing process like? How did you approach coming up with the various sequences?
Andrew> We had plenty of conversations about how much we wanted to reference the original, but given we had Lil Yachty on board, we felt that creating a whole new universe - almost stepping into his imagination - was a more interesting and contemporary way to reimagine the original. We let certain menu items be the inspiration for the visual world, as well as gave a nod to some of Lil Yachty’s stylistic sensibilities.
LBB> Speaking of menu items, the campaign also promoted the fact that some menu remixes are now available for a limited time. How did this impact the creative process, if at all?
Rebecca> The song is all about celebrating the iconic menu items that today’s generation of fans love. So, when we decided to revive the original song, the idea was to extend the remix concept to our menu by remixing some classic food items. The remixed menu items were inspired by our fans who love to share their hacks and menu creations.
Andrew> Strangely enough, the Remix Menu items aren’t actually mentioned in the song, mainly because both the original and this new version were meant to highlight permanent menu items that everyone knows and loves. Deciding on the Remix Menu items was a whole other creative endeavour that we and the McDonald’s Canada operations team worked closely together on.
LBB> And are there any in particular you’d recommend trying?
Rebecca> My personal favourite is the Chicken Cheeseburger. The campaign has ended, but we know that our fans have been adding the Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce to their Junior Chicken for years, so we’re actually keeping that remix item on the menu.
LBB> Equally important: the music itself. Did you just leave this up to Lil Yachty, or did you have a hand in the process?
Andrew> We had an incredible audio partner in Beacon Street Studios. We tapped them to create a series of instrumental tracks, and once we narrowed down a handful of our favourites, we shared them with Lil Yachty. The stars aligned as we all seemed to gravitate towards, ‘the one’ that melodically was already stuck in so many of our heads! He went into the studio a few weeks later and brought it to life in a way only he could have. And now it’s stuck forever.
LBB> Who directed the film, and what made them the right person for the job?
Andrew> We got introduced to Pete Marquis, a director who had an impressive body of work, great comedic instincts, and a background in music videos. Our sensibilities just really aligned, and it was very apparent he was someone who shared our ambitions.
LBB> In terms of the shooting process, where did you shoot, how long did it take, and do you have any anecdotes from the set?
Andrew> We shot over two days in a full-on, semi-permanent McDonald’s restaurant set we built (complete with Drive Thru!) in the west end of Toronto. It’s actually proved super useful beyond this campaign for some of our other productions.
When Lil Yachty nailed the entire song top to bottom on the very first take, we actually cheered in the video village. We probably could’ve gone home after that!
LBB> Were there any sequences that were particularly fun or challenging to film? Please tell us about those!
Andrew> What Lil Yachty brings to the camera is inherently fun, so we had a laugh at one thing or another with nearly every set-up. But, when you’re working with someone like him, you’ve only got a limited amount of shooting hours, so you have to make sure you’re buttoned up and ready to go with every take and keep downtime to a minimum. Fortunately, we had a great crew to make sure every minute was productive.
As for specific shots, the scene with him at the head of the long table wasn’t too challenging in itself, but we shot all those menu items practically and in-camera (in reverse). A little fishing line was pulling them off one by one, and they didn’t always fly off smoothly. They also had to be reset by hand after each take…
LBB> Obviously, the music video features some incredible VFX! What was that process like, and how did you achieve such a unique aesthetic and artistic style?
Andrew> The style for this was always envisioned as kind of a mashup of a familiar McDonald’s world and this hyper-fantastical imaginary world of Lil Yachty’s. We worked really closely with The Vanity right here in Toronto, and they really did an amazing job of building out those two aesthetics.
LBB> Are there any Easter eggs in the video fans might want to look for?
Andrew> That would spoil all the fun!
That said, not sure if this is an Easter egg, but in the wide shot of Lil Yachty walking through the restaurant, those are also all Lil Yachtys in the booths!
LBB> What lessons have you learned in the making of this campaign?
Rebecca> Trust your instincts and push for creativity. In the very first creative presentation, we agreed we had to do this. The ideas continued to grow and evolve throughout the process, but staying true to the McDonald’s brand, tying the program back to the food with the menu items, and working with great partners in a trusting and collaborative process was key.
LBB> How have people been responding since the launch?
Andrew> It’s absolutely everything we had hoped for. In terms of exposure and engagement, it has surpassed all of our benchmarks, but with this type of project, you live for the anecdotal… and we’ve heard plenty of nice things.
The Remix Menu items were also a huge hit (and I can attest, as a completely unbiased fan)!
Rebecca> Our fans are absolutely loving it! Not only have the Remix Menu items outperformed our sales forecast, but on social, the sentiment has been overwhelmingly positive. In fact, the collaboration post we did with Lil Yatchy was the highest performing piece of non-boosted organic content this year.
LBB> How does this campaign fit into McDonald’s Canada’s branding for 2024 and beyond?
Rebecca> The fan-led approach to our menu is connecting us with customers like never before, and our new Remix Menu is just the latest example. We’ve adapted to engage with people in new ways, no matter where or what you order. By driving cultural relevance, we’re making deeper connections across our Canadian fandom. Our culture-focused approach leverages the magic of our brand and is delighting fans and fuelling our business.
LBB> Finally, do you have a favourite scene from the video? And why?
Rebecca> I love them all! It’s so hard to pick. The fish eye was the first set-up we shot, and Lil Yachty came in and absolutely nailed his first take. He brought such amazing energy and had so much fun with it that all of us watching knew from the first moment that it was going to be a hit.
