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Nostalgia with Style: McNugget Buddies x Kerwin Frost

McDonald’s Canada brought the McNugget Buddies back to life through an unexpected creative partner—streetwear designer and Gen Z icon Kerwin Frost. The result: six collectible Buddies, each dressed in wild, remixable fashion, launched inside a limited-edition Kerwin Frost Box. The campaign was a bold crossover of nostalgia, character storytelling, and style.

S – Situation


McDonald’s Canada reintroduced the iconic McNugget Buddies through a limited-time partnership with designer and streetwear creator Kerwin Frost. The goal was to spark nostalgia among millennials, introduce the Buddies to Gen Z, and drive traffic through a collectible-led campaign that blended fashion, character storytelling, and digital engagement.


T – Task


My task was to build and lead a media strategy that connected the creative world of Kerwin Frost with high-intent audiences. This campaign had to land in cultural spaces that mattered, and it needed to move product in-store and through the app.


A – Action


I delivered a plan that blended style with performance:

  • Created custom audience segments using fashion interest, past Happy Meal behavior, and creative content engagement

  • Secured PG placements on Complex, Hypebeast, and Vice to reach fashion-forward and culturally aware audiences

  • Launched sequenced video and display across YouTube, CTV, and mobile environments focused on streetwear, toy collectors, and music content

  • Partnered with analytics to monitor regional traction and shifted spend toward high-performing urban centers using geo-lift and store-level signals

  • Embedded Kerwin’s characters and storyline into every placement to deepen engagement and fuel shareability



R – Result


The campaign created real heat:

  • 34 percent lift in Happy Meal consideration among 18 to 34 year olds

  • 2.5 times higher engagement on contextual media compared to standard placements

  • Verified foot traffic lift across key urban markets

  • Coverage across Adweek, Marketing Dive, License Global, and Complex drove additional earned reach

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