McDonald’s serves up ‘delicious spreadsheets’ to tempt office workers back into routine

McDonald’s is adding some flavour to the grind with an outdoor campaign that transforms spreadsheets into mouthwatering artworks, reminding office workers that there are better things to crunch than numbers.

The campaign, part of Macca’s wider “Return to Routine-ish” initiative by DDB Sydney and OMD Sydney, aims to break the monotony of office life with playful digital ads featuring McDonald’s menu favourites built entirely in spreadsheets.

Spreadsheets never looked this good

The campaign’s creative execution comes from Adam Bentley, DDB Sydney’s Creative Technologist, a self-described “freak-in-the-spreadsheets”, who meticulously recreated three iconic Macca’s products in Excel-style grids.

Running across 760 sites in and around Sydney’s CBD, the ads will appear in digital OOH, office building lobbies and even small-format elevator screens - all placed for a post-meeting or after-work Macca’s run.

Jack Nunn, creative partner at DDB Sydney, said the campaign taps into the universal experience of midweek office drudgery.

“There’s nothing quite like a Macca’s run to break the humdrum of the day. With playful visuals and clever media placements, this campaign will cut through like a Guillotine on 80gsm printer paper.”

Emily Bosler, OMD Sydney managing partner, added the media strategy was designed for maximum contextual impact.

“We are executing a tactical, programmatic digital out-of-home strategy to drive contextual relevance during key moments of back-to-work routine. Strategically selecting high-foot-traffic CBD areas and in-office environments allows us to effectively reach the ‘back to work’ audience and tempt them with a Macca’s run.”