LONDON, UK — McDonald’s UK and creative partner Leo Burnett UK have invited besties to make their commitment to share McNuggets official with a formal contract as part of their latest work, “The Pre-Nug Agreement.”
Sharing Chicken McNuggets is the ultimate act of love and commitment. For the first time, McDonald’s is making that commitment official. The campaign encourages participation by inviting fans to sign their own Pre-Nug Agreement via a custom filter on the McDonald’s UK Instagram profile. Those willing to agree to McNuggets exclusivity will receive “love, McNuggets, and prizes.”
Supporting the social activation is a long-form brand film directed by Tom Speers and produced by SMUGGLER. Shot in the style of reality TV, the spot dramatizes the run-up to signing the agreement. It follows four groups of friends who have decided to take their relationship to the next level by promising to share McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets together forever.
Throughout the four-minute film, it quickly becomes clear that the Pre-Nug Agreement might not be for everyone, as Chicken McNuggets are simply too delicious to share with just anybody. The drama will end with an invitation for viewers to head to the brand’s Instagram channel to commit.
The filter and film follow “leaked images,” where paparazzi-style shots of influencer Millie Court leaving what appears to be a legal office holding a pre-nuptial agreement were featured on her social media channels. Led by award-winning communications agency Ready10, the goal was to lead the public to believe she is finally tying the knot with fellow ex-Love Islander and boyfriend, Liam Reardon. Dropping with the brand film is an Instagram reel posted by Millie, revealing it was instead the true act of love and commitment, a Pre-Nug Agreement with her bestie, Chloe Burrows.
Alongside influencer engagement, “The Pre-Nug Agreement” will also include owned media activations, including social cutdowns and stickers, as well as a nationwide discount on McNuggets to get the nation sharing and printed versions of the Pre-Nug Agreement on tray-liners in McDonald’s restaurants and national press adverts.
James Millers and Andrew Long, Executive Creative Directors at Leo Burnett UK, said, “When something is so delicious, that agreement to share needs a little officiation. It’s a complex issue – do you go 50/50? Who gets custody of the BBQ dip? Honestly, we’ve been creative partners for a long-time and it’s still up in the air on whether we’ll share.”
Matt Reischauer, Marketing Director for UK&I at McDonald’s, shared, “The eternal debate of whom to share your McNuggets with — it’s just become a part of our culture. The Pre-Nug Agreement acknowledges this and lets fans put their own sharing commitment in writing. I can’t wait to see where this goes. Although I am disappointed to learn via this press release that the team at Leo’s won’t be signing one with me.”
Kate Addy, Managing Partner at Ready10, added, “Sharing McNuggets has always been a contentious issue, and bringing on board Chloe and Millie meant we were able to bring this insight to life in a relatable way for McDonald’s customers. We’re excited to see this campaign shared by our community and call out who they feel is their McNugget type on paper.”
Ready10 led on PR and talent. OMD UK handled all media planning and buying, with CRM by Armadillo.
CREDITS
CAMPAIGN TITLE: Pre-Nug Agreement
CLIENT: McDonald’s UK
ADVERTISING AGENCY: Leo Burnett UK
CCO: Mark Elwood
ECD: Andrew Long & James Millers
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Gareth Butters
CREATIVE: Chanelle Merriam & Joshua Merriam
CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF DESIGN: Dave Allen
SENIOR DESIGNER: Rupert Knowlden
SENIOR DESIGNER: Tomek Drozdowski
SENIOR INTEGRATED DESIGNER: Gurcan Ergur
SENIOR DIGITAL AND MOTION DESIGNER: Pete Rowse
PROJECT DIRECTOR: Siobhan Mulcahy
DEPUTY CSO: Tom Sussman
SOCIAL PLANNING DIRECTOR: Benjamin Obadia
BUSINESS DIRECTOR: Jay Perry
SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER: Nicola Kuan
ACCOUNT MANAGER: Jan Nikawala
CHIEF PRODUCTION OFFICER: Emily Marr
AGENCY PRODUCER: Anna Cartwright
PRODUCTION COMPANY: SMUGGLER
DIRECTOR: Tom Speers
MANAGING DIRECTOR / EP: Lucy Kelly
PRODUCER: Luca Chapman
EDITOR: Adam Spivey @ The Assembly Room
EDIT PRODUCER: Phoebe Armstrong-Beaver @ The Assembly Room
POST-PRODUCTION COMPANY: Black Kite
COLOURIST : Tom Mangham
VFX & COLOUR PRODUCER: Tamara Mennell
AUDIO POST-PRODUCTION COMPANY: String & Tins
SOUND DESIGN: Adam Smyth
AUDIO PRODUCER: Alina Miroshnichenko
MUSIC: Audio Network
SOCIAL PRODUCTION COMPANY: Sliced Studio
CONTENT PRODUCTION DIRECTOR: Yiani Andrikidis
McDonald’s Brand Team:
CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER, S.V.P: Michelle Graham-Clare
MARKETING DIRECTOR: Matt Reischauer
HEAD OF MARKETING, FOOD & BEVERAGES: Ben Sherburn
HEAD OF CONSUMER COMMUNICATIONS & PARTNERSHIPS: Louise Page
MARKETING MANAGER: Ana Saffer
BRAND MANAGER: Josie Thompson-Green
CAMPAIGN ASSISTANT: Kara Minnis
Agency Partners
MEDIA: OMD UK
PR: Ready10
CRM: Armadillo
