Not a smart branding idea in hindsight
When it comes to marketing and brand building, McDonald’s are about as savvy as they come. With huge departments of marketing specialists and many years in the game, you’d think they’d know how to navigate the tricky waters of the internet. But not-so for McDonald’s New Zealand who launched their ‘Create Your taste’ campaign with a ‘Design your own burger’ promotion.
The idea was simple enough; design your own burger, share the result online and win free fries and a soft drink – what could go wrong? As we wrote about with the UKs Boaty McBoatface earlier this year, the internet’s fascination with taking the piss out of exactly this kind of brand opportunity knows no bounds. And that’s exactly what happened to Maccas New Zealand who’s promotion site was flooded with hilarious, irreverent, racist and socially unacceptable burger designs.
The promotional page has since been removed from the NZ McDonald’s site, but we’ve found some of the least offensive and more amusing design work from the good folk of New Zealand.
In the mean time McDonald’s NZ are licking their wounds as the rest of us wonder how this error of judgement could have slipped through the marketing department. The reality is that these things happen in the world of brand communications, and it’s as much about how brands manage what comes next as it is about trying to keep a clean score sheet.





Dave Ansett
David is the founder of Truly Deeply, a brand agency with 25 years experience working with brands to position them for growth. His deep expertise is in the creation of high engagement brands that attract the attention of their audience and stand out from their competitors. David has extensive experience working with corporate, retail, food & beverage and entrepreneurial clients. Find out more at…
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