McDonald’s
Showcasing how an iconic global brand became the ignition point for millions of American careers
The Challenge
One in eight Americans have worked at McDonald’s — a staggering statistic that demonstrates the breadth of the company’s impact on the U.S. economy. And many of those Americans have taken the skills they’ve learned at McDonald’s and applied them across a wide range of industries, leveraging them to build careers in technology, art, engineering, health care, politics and more. Others have translated those skills into new opportunities at McDonald’s, rising up the ranks at the company. McDonald’s 1 in 8 initiative recognizes the achievements of the millions of everyday Americans who have worked at the company.
Seeking to raise visibility for the 1 in 8 initiative, McDonald’s wanted policymakers to better understand the company’s impact and to be more widely known as the economic engine it is for millions of Americans. To educate policymakers about the critical role the company plays in fostering meaningful opportunities for employment, education and career development in communities across the country, McDonald’s partnered with POLITICO Focus.
The Strategy
Concepted during an election season in which nearly 80 percent of voters said the economy was the top issue, POLITICO Focus recognized that hearing directly from one of the world’s largest restaurant chains and some of the 1 in 8 American voices it has employed about how the organization is creating opportunities for meaningful work and economic mobility would resonate with policymakers. To humanize the broader story of McDonald’s economic impact, POLITICO Focus collaborated with the company to highlight inspiring stories of individuals whose early work at McDonald’s helped shape their future success. This approach aimed to personalize an iconic global brand while highlighting McDonald’s role as a crucial job training and upskilling engine.
To bring these success stories to life, POLITICO Focus developed a dynamic, magazine-style photojournalism experience chronicling the lives and careers of four 1 in 8-ers. Enlisting Chicago-based former McDonald’s employee Kendall Hearns as the centerpiece, POLITICO Focus traveled to Chicago to capture bespoke photography, painting a picture of Hearns’ life today as a successful entrepreneur and designer. This included capturing compelling photo assets of Hearns running his art business and a visit to his home creative studio, all to illuminate the ways that the skills from McDonald’s shaped his success. The piece culminated with a visit to the original McDonald’s location where Hearns got his start in the suburbs of Chicago, and his old neighborhood right across the street. POLITICO Focus also captured and incorporated audio clips from the visit, allowing readers to hear directly from Hearns on the lasting impact his first job at McDonald’s had on his life.
To further demonstrate the diversity of career paths that can come with a foundational job at McDonald’s, the article experience highlighted quotes from McDonald’s executives, and included first-hand testimonials and portraiture from three additional 1 in 8-ers who reaped the benefits McDonald’s offers in different communities across the country. Supplementing Hearns’ story, they spotlighted a working mom who received her college degree through the company’s Archways to Opportunity education program and an immigrant who worked her way up through the McDonald’s system into a corporate role.
The Results
“Serving Up Opportunity,” a sophisticated, magazine-style photojournalism experience, highlighted the many ways McDonald’s creates opportunities for meaningful work, and successfully educated policymakers about the company’s commitment to the economic success of Americans.
In addition to promotion on the POLITICO homepage and other properties, POLITICO Focus also developed custom window units leveraging original photography from the campaign, targeted to a national audience to drive heightened traffic and awareness. This was also paired with an original social media promotional campaign targeted to POLITICO influencers that generated high engagement and interest for the piece. This multi-channel campaign and the authenticity of the story’s messaging helped “Serving Up Opportunity” exceed key performance goals:
- 140 percent – more in total page views than POLITICO’s benchmark goal
- +30 seconds – time on page from page views driven directly from POLITICO’s homepage
- 2x — the standard click-through-rate benchmark for social Facebook campaigns
For one in eight Americans, the McDonald’s restaurant experience teaches valuable career skills and provides opportunities for career growth. Jordann Nunn U.S. Chief Field People Officer McDonald’s
Reaching the Right Audience
Amplified by native and social promotion, POLITICO Focus engaged critical audiences, who, compared to the average POLITICO audience, were:
