McDonald’s captures the New Year spirit in all its rawness
Capturing the spirit of New Year’s Eve has always been something of an afterthought for creatives, but McDonald’s and Leo Burnett UK didn’t miss a beat this year.
Launched just in time for the 2026 New Year’s haze, McDonald’s UK’s ‘Proof of Delivery’ by Leo Burnett UK turns those awkward, unfiltered doorstep photos into a memorable campaign hook.
Snapped by delivery drivers as evidence, the ads are an unfiltered celebration of real-life ‘mornings after’. The OOH ads feature bleary-eyed, pyjama-clad customers mid-yawn or squint, clutching their McMuffins.
It's a very on-brand exercise for McDonald’s, whose fast food is genuinely apt for such occasions. Highlighting party excess and the curative breakfast after, the ads are directed with humour and relatability (for me at least), highlighting a ritual rarely celebrated in campaigns , presumably because a far more important celebration falls just before it.
The ads are similar in style to some of Leo Burnett’s previous efforts, like 2019’s ‘We Deliver’, which showcased diverse fans indulging at home, or 2023’s ‘McDelivery Anticipation’ that hyped the wait: emphasising the food’s convenience.
Culturally, the campaign plays into Britain’s love of self-deprecating humour around festivities and our penchant for excess, while leveraging user-generated authenticity on ‘the Gram’.
New Year’s Eve in Ad Land
Several brands have leant into themes of renewal, reflection and togetherness for New Year, with “fresh start” imagery always being a winner.
Disney's ‘Through Time’ milked nostalgia this year (well, technically last year now) with a nostalgic spot following a family revisiting home videos and shared moments with Disney over the years, cutting between old footage and present-day.
Lululemon’s ‘Be Spring’ (to mark Lunar New Year 2024), meanwhile, featured Michelle Yeoh and dancers from “Wing Chun,” using movement and choreography to symbolise rebirth and new beginnings as the Year of the Dragon arrives.
Watson’s ’Enter The Dragons’ meanwhile marked Chinese New Year 2024 with a beautifully shot ode to the Hong Kong-style movie, complete with CGI, elaborate costumes, a musical number and anthropomorphic dragon characters tied to each person.
If you enjoyed this article, you can subscribe for free to our weekly email alert and receive a regular curation of the best creative campaigns by creatives themselves.
Published on: