Is getting closer to Gen Z critical for your business? Learn how C Space helped McDonald’s “understand not just this consumer segment’s choices and behaviors, but who they really are” with an 18-episode, virtually-shot and professionally-produced TV series to bring their team closer to a key consumer target.
As our client at McDonald’s put it, “Generational research is hard. There is plenty of data, plenty of analysis looking at behavior, preferences and priorities. Values, lifestyles, and challenges. Even deeper dives into profiles and personas. At McDonald’s we wanted to create an intrinsic, holistic, and authentic connection with 18-24-year-olds across our marketing team, to fuel our strategy to drive cultural relevance.”
The question was, how exactly do you set up an ongoing learning process for a massive marketing team that truly changes behavior?
McDonald’s knew that gathering insights of a new generation of consumers isn’t a moment-in-time exercise, but an ongoing process of learning about their shifting needs and perspectives in deeper and more personal ways.
Our goal was not just to inform, but to entertain and engage a diverse group of McDonald’s employees in getting to know their new customers. Together with our client, we co-created a new way of building consumer empathy through consumer insight communities that was worthy of a world-class brand–something to inspire the McDonald’s team and create viral “buzz” inside the organization.
To bring Gen Z to life for McDonald’s in a way that was both human and insightful, C Space created Up Close, an 18-episode, virtually-shot, professionally produced series featuring six young artists, advocates and entrepreneurs, each representing distinct Gen Z archetypes. Through weekly episodes exploring themes like identity, family and the “New American Dream,” and interspersed with cast spotlights in the style of Vogue’s “73 Questions,” the series gave McDonald’s teams an intimate, unfiltered look at this critical audience.
The result was a fresh, creative, and highly effective approach to consumer understanding—one that moved beyond data points and personas to real people and real stories. As Matt Cahill, Senior Director of U.S. Consumer Insights at McDonald’s, put it: “In a simple and engaging way, we started to connect all the dots… and really create a better understanding of this critical target.” The series has since been recognized for its innovation, impact and ability to inspire marketing that truly resonates.
Ciaran, Francesca, Trenton, Chelsea, Noah and Xcaret became the embodiment of our young customer and an inspiration to our team, helping us generate strategic marketing insights that have being recognized for their effectiveness, innovation, representation and creativity.
