McDonald’s has decided to remove the color red from its Happy Meal for the first time. The chain has launched a limited edition of blank boxes, without logo or corporate colors, under the motto “Draw How You Feel.” The initiative, developed together with BBC Children in Need, encourages children to personalize the box with their own drawings as a way to express their emotions and encourage family conversations about mental well-being.
Access to free art therapy resources will be included through McDonald’s Family Hub
The activation, which will run from November 5 to 18 throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland, is part of McDonald’s commitment to the emotional health of children. The almost four million boxes in circulation will be accompanied by a set of colored crayons and will include access to free art therapy resources through the McDonald’s Family Hub platform.
“Children are calmer and more open to talking when they are drawing”commented the campaign ambassador, Kimberley Walsh, known for belong to the pop group Girls Aloud and for her role as a mother. Their participation reinforces the family and daily approach of an action that focuses on listening and creativity as tools of emotional support.
This action is supported by research that reveals that 73% of children express their feelings better while drawing and that 88% of parents believe that creative play facilitates conversations about emotions. These data have been key to consolidating the narrative of a campaign that follows in the wake of the award-winning action at Cannes Lions 2024, in which McDonald’s eliminated the smile from the Happy Meal as a trigger to talk about mental health.
The agency Ready10 has been responsible for the creative development of this new phase, in collaboration with TMS, which has designed the visual identity and materials present in the restaurants.
“Through our partnership with BBC Children in Need, McDonald’s can play a key role in supporting young people in the UK and Ireland”said Ben Fox, Senior Vice President and Director of Marketing at McDonald’s UK and Ireland. “With the launch of these boxes, we are reaching millions of families both in our restaurants and at home through McDelivery, providing them with tools to foster creativity and promote conversations that support child well-being.”
The initiative represents a new step in the evolution of McDonald’s positioning as an active agent in public health and emotional education issues. And it does so by transforming one of its most recognizable icons into a blank canvas so that each child can draw how they feel.
