Billboards & OOH · Global · 2018
McDonald’s: Follow the Arrows
Billboards made only from cropped pieces of the golden arches, each pointing the way to the nearest restaurant.
By Maer Media editorial teamPublished 4 October 20263 min readCossette, TorontoBranding · Campaigns
- Brand
- McDonald’s
- Market
- Global
- Year
- 2018
- Category
- Billboards & OOH
- Agency or team
- Cossette, Toronto
- Channels
- Roadside billboards
The context
Roadside billboards often just say “exit here”. McDonald’s wanted directional advertising that was also brand advertising.
The arches are so familiar that a fragment is enough.
The move
Cossette in Canada cropped the arches into fragments that read as arrows (“next exit”, “turn right”, “on your right”), trusting drivers to recognise the brand from a curve.
How it was executed
- Cropped the arches into shapes that read as arrows.
- Placed boards along routes leading to restaurants.
- Used only short directional lines.
Billboards made only from cropped pieces of the golden arches, each pointing the way to the nearest restaurant.
What happened Reported facts
The work was widely awarded and became a reference for how strong distinctive assets allow a brand to say less.
Why it worked Maer’s analysis
The boards worked as both directions and brand advertising, and their confidence said something about the brand.
What to take from it Maer’s analysis
- 01The strongest brands can be recognised from a fragment.
- 02Directional advertising can still build the brand.
- 03Confidence is a creative strategy.
Highway hoardings in India often list directions. Brands with strong shapes and colours can let those do the work.
Where Maer applies this
The same thinking runs through these brand templates:
Sources: Cossette; trade press coverage (2018). Figures are as publicly reported; Maer Media was not involved in this work and is not affiliated with McDonald’s.
The Maer Media editorial team studies how brands are built, from positioning and packaging to launches and growth. Figures in each case study come from the public sources listed above; the analysis and the India notes are our own. More about Maer
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