McDonald's

How McDonald's Won Over Gen Z With TikTok - Driving 10.3% Ad Recall and 2.2% Intent Lift

Objectives

Breaking out of the TV mindset to reach a younger audience

McDonald's Germany wanted to strengthen its connection with Gen Z audiences. While the brand had a strong media presence, traditional channels were no longer enough to engage younger consumers and spark breakout interest in specific menu items.Rather than repurposing existing TV content, McDonald's sought a creative approach to promote its McWrap menu item to Gen Z users on TikTok. To reach and engage its target audience, McDonalds worked closely with the TikTok team to develop a strategy designed to feel authentic, platform-native, and Gen Z-first.

Solution

Putting storytelling into the hands of TikTok creators

The team at TikTok for Business presented a new direction. With the same media budget, McDonald's shifted to a creator-first approach through the TikTok One Partner Exchange program to access Creator Led and Remix packages. These packages offer advertisers personalized services that match advertisers with creator partners who handle creative production and campaign management.McDonald's embraced this strategy with a test-and-learn mindset. They launched a full-funnel campaign across In-Feed Ads, TopView, and TopFeed formats.

By giving creators freedom to tell their story about the new McWrap "Take it Fresh" campaign in their own voice and style, McDonald's tapped into the energy of the platform. The creative shift also changed how McDonald's viewed the platform. TikTok was no longer just a channel for media investment, but an essential partner in building brand relevance and performance.

Results

Driving brand recall, purchase intent, and lower costs in one campaign

The campaign delivered strong results in awareness, consideration, and efficiency, as confirmed by a Brand Lift Study.Ad recall rose by 10.3 percent, surpassing the European benchmark of 7.72%. Brand awareness also rose, achieving a 3.8 percent lift despite McWrap already being a well-established product. This shows that TikTok can help refresh brand perception even for familiar items. CPM (cost per mille) among Gen Z users also dropped by 40 percent, proving that creative performance of using TikTok One.

Most importantly, McDonald’s saw a 2.2 percent lift in purchase intent, which was the first time the brand had recorded gains for intent on TikTok in Germany. In the end, Gen Z not only watched the ads, they were also inspired to go out and buy the advertised menu items.

To learn more about TikTok's solutions, including TikTok One Partner Exchange, contact our team here.

This is a TikTok case study and is solely for informational purposes. Past performance does not guarantee or predict future performance. All claims related to brand products including, without limitation, the effectiveness, sales, or quality of such products are brand-reported and not endorsed or verified by TikTok.