When McDonald’s came out with their Grandma McFlurry, named after the butterscotch candy way down in the depths of grandma’s purse, we were tasked with marketing it to our AAPI Gen Z audience. And much like that 3-year-old golden wrapped candy, we dug deep to uncover a prevalent barrier between Gen Zers and their grandmas. With so many AAPI grandmas being first-generation immigrants, there was a generational language barrier between themselves and their grandchildren.
So we came up with an innovative solution to bridge the gap between the two generations using every grandmas’ favorite tool: AI. Our microsite sweetconnections.ai allowed users to record themselves speaking English then have it translated into their grandma’s native language. The AI cloned their voice, translated their words, and reanimated their face to make it look and sound like they were actually speaking grandma’s language.
We shot a series of TV/OLV spots, featuring three real life Grandma-Gen Z pairings, in addition to audio ads and social videos to get the word out.
Sweet Connections was McDonald’s first-ever AI-led campaign and it made a huge impact. The Grandma McFlurry sold out in 2.5 weeks, web traffic exceeded 145,000 visitors in the first week, and Inc. Magazine called it “brilliant,” urging brands to follow McDonald’s lead in AI-driven marketing.
In a time when AI is quickly replacing everything we do and love, we were able to find a way to have it bring family closer together. Which should lessen the sting when it eventually comes for my job.