Did you know that McDonald’s sells carrot bags as a healthy substitute for the restaurant’s famous French fries? Shame on us, because we were completely unaware of this. But someone got way ahead of this issue and created a Christmas-themed campaign to help everybody discover the brand’s healthy snack. That someone is no one other than Leo Burnett London. The agency thought of the man in the spotlight during this time of the year and crafted a visual delight which introduces the carrots as delicious saviours and stars of the ‘show’.

Following the success of the last year’s campaign, #ReindeerReady, McDonald’s is planning to get the #ReindeerReadyAgain. If the previous ad is told through the eyes of a little girl, the current campaign puts in the spotlight the magical flying animals, which get a bit sad that all the families think mainly of Santa and leave delicious snacks just for the bearded guy for when he visits their places. Sadly, there’s no surprise for the hard-working reindeer. But enough with all the attention spinning around Santa Claus. It’s time for his reindeer to be pampered!

The London-based agency created a film which shows Father Christmas and his biggest helpers busy at work. They fly around the UK and every stop translates as a tasty snack break for Santa. The good old man receives all the attention, whilst his army of reindeer seem to have been forgotten. No to worry though, because McD is here to help Santa give its cute assistants the ‘fuel’ they need to give their best on the biggest night of the year.

Fortunately, at one of their stops—while enjoying some cookies—Santa spots McDonald’s famous Golden Arches just outside the window. The good man is aware of the fact that even his reindeer have feelings and probably want to partake in the Christmas’ magical spirit too. So, to surprise them, he rushes towards the restaurant and buys what the animals love most: carrots! Or Reindeer Treats as the brand now likes to call them.

Besides this visual adventure, the brand crafted another magical experience for its fans to enjoy this time of the year. To make them be part of this wonderful story, McD launched a digital experience on Snapchat which transforms the users’ face into a reindeer. And to help them understand the animals’ obsession and create the episode even more interactive, the app prompts players to catch as many falling carrots as possible. The more carrots they catch, the faster the reindeer fly through the sky.

The campaign is also supported by a website that hosts exciting competitions, a Christmas jumper giveaway, and an animated e-book for parents and children to read together. Plus, the company promised that it will bring back the Reindeer Ready Live, which is an augmented reality tool which parents can use to capture the moment when a reindeer enters their house.

“After last year, we wanted to build even more fun ways to help get the country Reindeer Ready. With a unique and playful Snapchat lens and filters, an exclusive reindeer e-book, Christmas jumper giveaways, Festive branded carrots and the magical story of Father Christmas and his Reindeer, we hope this year’s McDonald’s campaign warms the hearts of the nation and captures a bit of the magical anticipation of Christmas,” said Chaka Sobhani, CCO at Leo Burnett London, in a press release.

We don’t know about you, but the ad melted our hearts and we are ready to buy some Reindeer Treats so the cute animals won’t starve on the night of Christmas Eve. What about you? Will you leave only cookies for Santa or will you think about Rudolph and his friends too?

Credits:

Agency: Leo Burnett London

Client: McDonald’s

Leo Burnett
Chief Creative Officer: Chaka Sobhani
Creative Director: Pete Heyes
Creatives: Andrew Long and James Millers
Head of TV Production: Graeme Light
Client Services Director: Layla Potter
Board Account Director: Bethany Watts
Account Director: Jassmine Wixon
Senior Account Manager: Felicity Davies
Account Manager: Robert Ellen
Account Executive: Callum Matthews
Account Executive: Thomas Schofiel
Head of Planning: Max Keane
Planner: Catherine Owen
Senior Digital Strategist: Carl Juresic
Senior Project Manager: Emily Green
Senior Social Media Manager: Rory O’Neill
Head of Design: Phil Bosher
Deputy Head of Design: Paul Reddington
Designer: Kinda Savarino

TVC Production Company: Outsider
Director: James Rouse
Producer: Benji Howell
Editor: Art Jones at Work Editorial

Production credits
VFX: Framestore
VFX Supervisor: Ben Cronin
CG Supervisor: Ahmed Gharraph, Grant Walker
2D Supervisor: Suzanne Jandu
Head of Animation: Ross Burgess
Animation Lead: Gez Wright
Lighting Lead: Mathias Cadyck
Asset Leads: Joel Best, Gabriela Salmeron, Andrew Butler
Colourist: Steffan Perry
Senior Producer: Josh King
Line Producer: Lucy Grist
Production Coordinator: Emma Hughes

Audio Company: Factory
Sound Engineer: Anthony Moore

McDonald’s Brand Team
Marketing Director for Brand Experience and Media: Ben Fox
Senior Brand Manager: Hannah Pain
Assistant Brand Manager: Sophie Williams
Campaign Assistant: John McClure

McCafé
Head of Marketing, Food & Beverages: Michelle Graham-Clare
Marketing Manager: Thomas O’Neill
Brand Manager: Jodie White
Campaign Assistant: Harry McLean

Social Team
Social Media Editor In Chief: William Bonaddio
Social Media Manager: Ashleigh-Jayne O’Connell

OMD UK
Executive Business Director: Jo Butler
Business Director: Emma Carr
Communications Planning Manager: Jamie Graham
Strategy Director: Julia Smith
Strategic Partnerships Director: Emma Parrett
Connections Planning Associate Director: Jamie Callaghan
Connections Planner: Joseph Easter
Digital Connections Planning Associate Director: Tom Kirkham
Digital Connections Planning Manager: Bea Spring
Investment Director: Paul Milsom
Investment Associate Director: Alex Neary
Social Associate Director: Ediz Osman

MPC Creative
Creative Director: Andre Assalino
Interactive Producer: Sinead Catney
Animators: Jess Gaynor and Paul Hunt
Front-end developer: Joao Pescada
Back-end developer: Jamie Whittle
Designers: Bruno Amorim and Adriano Esteves

SnapChat
Senior Creative Strategist – Mark Carroll
Project Manager – Charlotte Cauby
Creative Specialist – Rob Waterman
Business Solutions Lead – Camilla Schilbach

eBook
Writer and illustrator: Alex Latimer