Campaign of the Week
McDonald’s prompts people to repay their pals with a Maccie /
QSR chain drives app engagement in the Netherlands with repayment request scheme
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Those small debts between friends have a habit of never quite getting cleared, so McDonald’s Netherlands has added a tasty new function to its app so people can encourage their pals to pay them back with McDonald's treats instead of cash.
The Maccie payment system allows people to enter the amount their friend owes them in the McDonald's App. Then, they can choose a treat for that amount and send the request via WhatsApp.
Maccies was promoted using out-of-home and McDonald’s collaborated with De Bankzitters, a popular Dutch music group and YouTube channel with close to 1 million subscribers to create a song and music video, which featured in one of their YouTube episodes.
The concept went live in June 2024 and was developed with creative agencies TBWA\Neboko and TBWA\X, both in Amsterdam. McDonald’s and its agencies worked with studio 51North, Amsterdam, to develop the app feature.'
![Body image for McDonald’s prompts people to repay their pals with a Maccie](https://darkroom.contagious.com/1000/fb73fd0d6c2c61ff92c5f6642d0d25c8:68d916c861f1405f04f013cf6d159991/maccie-int-pr-1-png.jpg)
Contagious Insight /
Going Dutch / Maccie reframes the potentially awkward situation of asking for small payments into an opportunity to share and enjoy McDonald's with a friend. Splitting the bill is a common practice in the Netherlands. According to the campaign press release, over €6.6m ($7.1m) was settled through the Dutch payment request app Tikkie in 2023, with five Tikkies being sent every second.
Keeping track of all the people who owe you money, and the money you owe others, can be a chore. McDonald’s turns this obligation into a positive experience by offering people a treat instead.
It’s also a smart way for the QSR to leverage common consumer behaviour to generate business. By encouraging people to redeem an item from the menu, McDonald’s subtly nudges them towards the app or in-store to create a full meal order, generating more spending with McDonald’s.
A little goes a long way / In our McDonald’s Brand Spotlight, Jennifer Healan, VP of marketing, brand content and engagement for McDonald’s US, emphasised the importance of connecting with younger people. ‘As a 65-year-old brand, we have to remain relevant, fresh and in the moment,’ she said. ‘To achieve that, we have to ensure we are introducing ourselves time and time again to younger people.
Initiatives like Maccie help McDonald’s connect with younger audiences concerned with affordability. The Harris Poll published in December 2023 found that 65% of Gen Z and 74% of millennials feel they are starting further behind financially than earlier generations at their age. Maccies highlights the affordability of the McDonald's menu by showing that even small amounts of money can be used to treat someone to an item from McDonald's.
De Bankzitters’ involvement also strengthens this connection and aligns McDonald’s with contemporary influencers that resonate with younger audiences.
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