McDonald’s teams up with Alan Shearer in new content inspired by 1998 advert

Celebrating the donation of 100,000 meals to FareShare by McDonald's customers

To celebrate the equivalent of 100,000 meals donated by customers to FareShare for redistribution since the launch of the MyMcDonald’s Rewards scheme last year, McDonald’s has cast footballing legend Alan Shearer in this new social content inspired by its iconic 1998 advert ‘Signature’.

And if you weren't around in the 1990s, here is the original.

The content, named ‘Selfie’, was created to encourage people to make the most of their unused MyMcDonald’s Rewards points via the McDonald’s app, by redeeming them on their favourite menu items, or donating them to McDonald’s partner charities FareShare, Ronald McDonald House Charities and Children in Need.

The social content pays homage to the original ad, featuring Alan being pursued around Newcastle by fans – this time for a selfie.

In the 1998 advert, Shearer is chased by a young fan desperate to get his autograph. Having failed, he got one final chance when Shearer entered a McDonald’s to pick up some food on his way home. The fan then cheekily claimed that the signature on Shearer’s cheque didn’t match his card and asked him to write it again on a piece of paper, finally landing him his coveted autograph.

The main character in ‘Selfie’ is a teenage girl, Jackie, who is desperate for a picture with her hero but fails to capture her snap at every turn, including at St James’ Park and a McDonald’s Fun Football event. She ends up getting the selfie when she bumps into Alan at the end of her McDonald’s shift, after he asks her if she can help him redeem his Rewards points on the McDonald’s App.

In a final twist, Jackie calls her dad to share her news, telling him “I got one better than you”, revealing that her father is none other than the lad from ‘Signature’ – played by the original actor – who captured Alan’s autograph 25 years ago.

The father role – played by Stephen Hoyle – is not the only ‘easter egg’ in the content, which also features Alan’s daughter Chloe reprising her role as the voice on the phone asking her dad to collect a McDonald’s on his way home. The 1998 version also showed Shearer speaking to Chloe on the phone – then aged five – asking him the same question.

McDonald’s has been a proud partner of FareShare since 2020, helping it with its mission to redistribute surplus food to charities that turn it into meals. FareShare is the UK’s longest running food redistribution charity believing that no good food should go to waste, especially when people are going hungry.