One of McDonald's Best Ad Campaigns

No other brand would have ever done this.

February 25, 2025

Ever noticed how some things are so iconic that you recognize them?

Even when they are incomplete?

Think about a half-bitten apple. A swoosh on a shoe. Three stripes on a jersey.

Even if you don’t see the full logo, you instantly know the brand.

That’s the power of strong branding. It speaks for itself.

McDonald’s took this idea to the next level with its Follow the Arches campaign.

Instead of using words or product images, they broke their own logo apart and turned it into a GPS for drivers. Just a curved piece of the Golden Arches was enough to guide people to the nearest McDonald's - no explanation needed.

And it worked.

Let's dig in!

Campaign Overview

  • Campaign Name: Follow the Arches

  • Campaign Dates: 2018

  • Industry: Fast Food / Quick Service Restaurants

  • Target Audience: Urban drivers and commuters looking for fast food on the go

A list of Follow the Arches Designs - Working Not Working

What was the campaign about?

This campaign was about using design to help people find the nearest McDonald's.

Instead of using billboards with full logos, catchy taglines, or product images, McDonald’s broke its famous Golden Arches into pieces and turned them into directions.

  • A curved piece of the M pointed right when drivers needed to turn right. Another part pointed left for a left turn.

  • A straight line meant Keep going ahead.

That’s it. No extra words. No distractions.

Only a clean, clever design that did its job instantly.

This turned a simple idea into something powerful.

Instead of relying on words or traditional ad formats, McDonald's used a simple, broken-up version of its OWN logo to guide people and proved the strength of its visual identity.

The billboards became functional tools and were more helpful than typical outdoor ads, which often only promote products. The minimalist approach also worked in its favor. Even when split apart, people could instantly recognize the Golden Arches.

While most billboards are cluttered with images and text, these stood out with their clean design and grabbed attention instantly.

On top of that, the campaign was a hit among marketing experts, winning prestigious awards and proving that sometimes, the simplest ideas are the most effective.

Campaign objectives

This campaign had a simple yet powerful goal - To help people find the nearest McDonald's using only the brand’s logo. But beyond just giving directions, the campaign had a profound impact.

Ads of the world

  1. Drive more foot traffic to McDonald’s locations

    The primary objective was to turn billboards into functional tools that didn’t just advertise but guided people to McDonald's restaurants. By using broken pieces of the Golden Arches as directional signs, the brand ensured drivers could easily find their way - without a map or GPS. This was so useful in busy urban areas.

  2. Strengthen brand recognition without saying a word

    McDonald's wanted to prove its logo power so much so that it didn’t even need to be fully visible. The campaign showed that just a small deconstructed piece of the Golden Arches was enough for people to recognize the brand. This was a bold move, but it worked because of McDonald's decade old identity.

  3. Make outdoor advertising more functional

    Most billboards are designed to grab attention, but McDonald's wanted to do more than advertise - provide value. The campaign added a real-world utility to traditional advertising by changing billboards into navigation tools. This made the ads more engaging and memorable for commuters.

  4. Stand out through simplicity

    In a world where ads are often loud, flashy, and flooded with information, McDonald's took a minimalist approach that cut through the noise. The campaign was a reminder that sometimes, less is more, and that great design can be just as effective as a long sales pitch.

  5. Win industry recognition and show creativity

    Beyond driving sales, the campaign was also a statement in the marketing world - proving that even the most well-known brands can still innovate creatively. The campaign’s success wasn’t just measured in customer traffic but also in the awards and recognition it received from the advertising industry.

Follow the Arches was about leveraging brand power in the smartest way possible.

By stripping everything down to the essentials, McDonald's reminded the world why it’s one of the most iconic brands in history.

Results

  • The campaign won multiple industry awards, including a Cannes Lions award for Outdoor Advertising - one of the most prestigious honors in marketing.

  • It was also recognized at The Clios and D&AD Awards, strengthening its place as one of McDonald’s smartest advertising moves.

  • The campaign went viral in marketing circles, with experts and agencies using it as an example of how minimalism can be powerful in advertising.

  • Since the billboards acted as navigation tools, they helped increase foot traffic to McDonald’s locations directly.

  • The campaign successfully guided commuters in Canada, proving that advertising can be both creative and useful at the same time.

How Can You Build One?

If you want to create a campaign like Follow the Arches, you need a marketing strategy that blends brand identity, minimalism, and functionality into something impactful.

Here’s a step-by-step strategy you can implement for your brand:

Step 1:
Identify a Functional Use for Your Branding

  • Find a way to turn your brand elements (logo, colors, tagline, or packaging) into something useful.

  • Ask: How can my brand elements guide, inform, or help my audience creatively?

  • Example: Just like McDonald’s used its logo as a navigation tool, your brand could repurpose its existing assets in a way that serves a practical purpose.

Example:
If you are a coffee brand, you could use your cup lid shape in ad designs to show time progression, playing on the idea of drinking coffee throughout the day.

Step 2:
Use Minimalism to Stand Out

  • Strip your campaign down to the absolute essentials - remove clutter, excessive text, or unnecessary elements.

  • Focus on the core message and let the visuals do the talking.

  • Simple designs stand out better, especially in outdoor ads, social media, and mobile screens.

Example:
If you are an apparel brand, create a billboard campaign featuring only fabric textures and colors, with a tiny corner of your logo peeking out, and let the brand familiarity do the work.

Step 3:
Leverage Outdoor & Digital Advertising for Impact

  • Choose the right medium for maximum visibility (e.g., billboards, metro stations, transit ads, or social media carousels).

  • Outdoor ads should be location-specific. Think about where your audience is when they see your ad.

  • Pair physical billboards with digital ads to amplify reach.

Example:
If you are a fitness brand, create geo-targeted billboards near gyms that use visual cues (like a running shoe imprint) to signal movement toward your stores.

Step 4:
Make It Conversation-Worthy

  • Create curiosity. Ads that don’t fully explain themselves tend to spark conversations.

  • Give your audience something to decode or figure out as it increases engagement.

  • A campaign that feels like a puzzle makes people talk about it.

Example:
If you are a tech brand, use a loading bar instead of a full logo on billboards and force people to connect the dots.

Step 5:
Track Engagement & Optimize

  • Use QR codes, tracking links, or geo-location metrics to measure campaign impact.

  • Track brand mentions and organic conversations on social media to see how people respond.

  • If a particular version of your ad performs well, double down on that concept in future campaigns.

Example:
If you are a restaurant chain, place subtle menu item shapes in your ads without names. Then, track if customers order those items more often after seeing the ad.

This strategy works because it taps into brand familiarity, simplicity, and functionality like McDonald's did. By making your brand elements helpful, minimalist, and conversation-worthy, you can create a campaign that engages your audience.

Conclusion

Follow the Arches campaign proves that great marketing isn’t about saying more. It’s about showing more. Instead of relying on flashy ads or complicated messaging, McDonald’s let its brand do the heavy lifting with a simple, functional design.

If you want to apply this to your own marketing, follow the above steps.

Now it’s your turn. Look at your brand elements differently. 

How can they be repurposed to create a campaign that not only gets attention but also serves a purpose? Think beyond advertising - think functionality.

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The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product and services fits him and sells itself.

Peter Drucker