Hunting McDonald’s in the metaverse

Lightly disguised version of the brand’s iconic snacks are lurking in games.

by Maud Largeaud , AdForum

When I say the word “burger”, it’s highly likely that the image of a McDonald’s burger pops into your head. And apparently you’re not the only one. It happens to game designers too, as The Unbranded Menu suggests. Filipino e-sports star kicked off the project by posting an image of a burger from the game GTA and noting its resemblance to a McDonald’s product. Then she challenged her eight million followers to find copies of McDonald’s foods in other games and call them out using the hashtag #thisisMcdonalds. The hunt was on! And participants could exchange their “catches” for McDonald’s meal vouchers. The results were spectacular: 27 million gaming fans reached, a 108% increase in brand mentions,140% more engagement and – so far – Grand Prix wins in the Philippines and at the recent Spikes Asia for “Brand Engagement”.