It is vital for humanity’s well-being to tackle the pandemic and prevent its further spread, and isolation and quarantine seem to be the best options. Because they are at higher risk of getting infected, both authorities and families recommend isolation for the elderly population. This means that recreational walks in the park, shopping for fun, or meetings with family are out of the question. For this category of people, grandchildren make their world go ’round. So, it’s obvious why they might feel a little more depressed during these times.

There isn’t much we can do to bring them joy. We can video call them, play online games with them, encourage them to take up a new hobby, or send them a really nice message which can be heard across the city. Thanks to McDonald’s Sweden’s latest campaign, we can now add one more thing to the list. One that actually promises to improve the mood of the elderly.

Since its beginnings in 1979, the Happy Meal has become almost synonymous with children’s happiness. Now, the fast-food restaurant wants to turn the surprise around and extend the surprise to our elders. Plus, McDonald’s wants to prove that, indeed, true happiness comes from small things.

Developed in partnership with creative agency Nord DDB, the newly-implemented Happy Meal Senior can be delivered to a family’s elders. Instead of finding a toy within the box, the seniors are surprised with a greeting card, drawn by their grandchild.

The campaign unfolded in a Swedish McDonald’s restaurant during a weekend. Throughout the event, the brand invited families to surprise their relatives with something delicious and pleasant for the eye and soul. “We wanted to let the kids surprise their grandparents with what they themselves love most, along with a surprise that we know the grandparents appreciate. We hope the initiative has made the lives of the grandparents a little more enjoyable,” says Sofie Lager, Senior Marketing Manager at McDonald’s.

The HoReCa industry is one of the worst-hit sectors by the coronavirus. Still, the industry is trying to adapt to the new rules imposed by the governments. One example is McDonald’s Netherlands, which imagined a new coronavirus-proof prototype restaurant back in May 2020. The brand promised customers to deliver the same atmosphere while strictly following the rules of hygiene.

However, this is not the first time the restaurant has “adjusted” one of its locations to fight with some of the world’s most-burning problems. Just a year ago, terrified by the fact that the planet is losing bees at an alarming rate, McDonald’s alongside its partner-in-crime, the Stockholm-based agency, created “McHive,” the world’s smallest McDonald’s restaurant, perfectly adapted to the bees’ needs. It seems like they have made a pledge to help these tiny insects thrive so, in September 2019, the duo continued their mission to give bees a little push in the right direction by turning some of McDonald’s OOH posters into bee hotels.

Credits:

Client: McDonald’s Sweden

Agency: Nord DDB