McDonald's spoofs a fake clothing brand for the launch of its Spicy Chicken McNuggets

In celebration of the release of its new Spicy Chicken McNuggets, McDonald’s has launched a new campaign in collaboration with advertising agency Leo Burnett London. Titled “Shnuggs” – a shortened and more catchy version of Spicy Chicken NcNuggets – the campaign sees a spoof fashion brand come to life in form of a mixture of food content and short films, run across Instagram, Twitter Facebook and YouTube.

Throughout the campaign, models wear custom-made Spicy Chicken McNuggets apparel, with PVC bucket hats, two-piece tracksuits and sliders marked with the product’s branding. Snapchat users can log-in and experience the company’s new Spicy Chicken McNugget Face Lens that, of course, turns your face into a fire-breathing Spicy Chicken McNugget. And if that’s not enough, the campaign also features Snapchat Market Tech – the latest in augmented reality technology – that will bring the advertisement’s posters to life through the app.

It’s a strategy that has also been recently adopted by KFC Russia, that saw a collaboration with streetwear brand Mam Cupy on a Colonel-inspired bucket hat. The campaign, targeted at 16-24-year-olds, also follows a recent redesign that saw a transition from the Speedee typeface to the Archery logo system.

Utilised as a way to tap into the Gen-Z marketplace and those who are infatuated with chicken nuggets, its digital presence, GIFS, stickers and interactive technology have all been designed to appeal to this fashion-forward audience.

“We drew inspiration from these cult-like brands that have this young audience going crazy for their latest product,” says Graham Lakeland, creative director at Leo Burnett. “Therefore, creating a spoof ‘hype beast’ clothing brand to model our new Spicy McNuggets felt like a great fit. This, coupled with a mixture of food-focused posts, helps us create a buzz to become one of the most talks about foods this year.”