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As a kid there’s nothing quite so exciting as grabbing a crayon or a felt tip pen and scrawling out a hopeful list addressed to: Santa Claus, North Pole. The postal method is, of course, always optional.
This year, McDonald’s is giving a new meaning to this Christmas tradition with a campaign from Leo Burnett UK that celebrates small but magical moments of togetherness during the holiday season.
The hero ad at the heart of “The Alternative Christmas List” was overseen by Les Misérables director Tom Hooper. It marks the sixth installment of the fast-food chain’s “Reindeer Ready” proposition in the market, which has helped McDonald’s find its place in the season by focusing on shared rituals.
The film tells the story of young Alfie, who gets carried away with the excitement of writing a Christmas list before realizing that it’s the little shared moments that really matter. After he observes his neighbor riding a red bike from the balcony of his flat, Alfie’s mom encourages him to write a wish list for Father Christmas.
He works hard on the project, crafting a huge letter that grows in length each time we see it. When Alfie and his parents go Christmas shopping at their local high street, he asks them how he’ll send it to Santa. Before he gets the chance to, though, the pages are caught up in a gust of wind and ascend into the sky.
Alfie chases the list but he can’t quite reach and it disappears into the clouds. To cheer him up, his parents take him to McDonald’s (where else?) and as they leave, his mom puzzles,” What was on your list anyway?”
Alfie smoothens out a scrunched up page of the list, which he managed to keep as it flew away. It’s the most important page of all: it shows a drawing of his little family.
The ad reinforces the importance of family time over the materialistic aspect of Christmas, reminding the U.K. what’s important during the holiday season.
The soundtrack, recorded by Becky Hill, is a festive rendition of Yazoo’s iconic track, “Only You.” 10 cents from every download of this track in the U.K. from now until Spring 2023 will be donated to nonprofit BBC Children in Need.
‘Appy Christmas
For 2022 McDonald’s is hoping its Christmas campaign will push people toward its app, where it’s hosting six unique “Alternative List” experiences designed to enhance shared family moments. These will include access to a holiday-themed touring photo booth, delivery drivers that sing Christmas carols and a festive audiobook for those driving home for the holidays.
The tie-up comes as the Big Mac creator is doubling down on its MyMcDonald’s rewards program, which was the “single biggest driver of digital adoption” for the brand, which claimed it was on its way to becoming the “world’s largest” loyalty program. In the Golden Arches’ largest market, the U.S., it already counts 22 million members active members.
Chaka Sobhani, chief creative officer at Leo Burnett UK and global, said: “We can all get a bit carried away by the excitement of Christmas, but we all know it’s those small moments with loved ones that matter the most.”
She added: “We hope the ‘Alternative Christmas List’ taps into that, particularly in such a difficult year, and gets people up and down the country proper reindeer ready.”
CREDITS:
Advertising Agency: Leo Burnett UK
CCO: Chaka Sobhani
Executive creative director: Mark Elwood
Creative directors: James Millers, Andrew Long
Senior creative: Joe Miller
Creative director of design: David Allen
Senior designer: Rupert Knowlden
Designer: Jakk Breedon
Head of planning: Tom Sussman
Strategy director: Hamish Cameron
Senior strategist: Roxy Windisch
Business lead: Steph Bates
Account director: Jack Brenman
Senior account manager: Nicola Kuan
Account manager: Florence Potter
Project director: Siobhan Mulcahy
TV producer: Graeme Light
Production company: Smuggler
Director: Tom Hooper
Editor: Russell Icke
Producer: Ella Sedgwick
Post-production company: Framestore
Audio post-production company: 750mph
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