Attracting workers back into restaurants during the industry's post-pandemic recovery was no piece of cake. So, McDonald's New England turned to long-time PR partner SHIFT to help it make the employer image for the golden arches shine.
In what became an award-winning campaign, we opted to go "off menu" with our strategy, led by one insight: humans are literally designed to "eat up" storytelling and social proof. And yet there's almost none of this in traditional recruitment marketing.
So, we created new ways to show McDonald’s work culture and bring the employment messaging to life with authentic storytelling from “behind the counter.”
People ate the campaign up, with its clever use of earned, influencers and brand partnerships. So have award judges. The "Cooking Up McDonald's Employer Brand Love" has been recognized in:
- The 2024 Innovation SABRE Awards North America, Employer Branding — one of the winners among over 850 total entries
- The 2023 Drum Awards, PR - Storytelling Category — Highly Commended
