JON MORGAN

Agency: Unlimited
Role: Creative Direction

Challenge:
How could one of the world’s largest brands show they’d been an ally of women and female leadership for decades?

Idea:
On International Women’s Day 2018, McDonald’s celebrated women everywhere by flipping its iconic Golden Arches.

At one restaurant, every M became a W, from the roadside sign outside to the packaging inside. Across the country, one hundred female-owned stores used rebranded bags, cups, fry boxes and tray liners.

A flipped logo across their social and digital channels accompanied inspiring stories of successful women within the company.

From late night show hosts, to social media mentions, to mass media publications, news of the flipped Arches spread, increasing global awareness for International Women’s Day and bringing the brand’s celebration to the cultural forefront.

Results:
⚡️ 1.6 billion impressions
⚡️ #1 searched brand query on International Women’s Day

Recognition:
🏆 Cannes x10
🏆 One Show x17
🏆 London International Awards x3
🏆 D&AD x6
🏆 ADC x7
🏆 Clios x7
🏆 Effies x2
🏆 ADDY x10
🏆 AICP Next Awards x2
🏆 Webbys

Agency: Weber Shandwick
Role: Creative Direction, Horse Wrangling

Challenge:
How can Anheuser‑Busch let people know that they source their beers’ ingredients from 700 U.S. farmers?

Idea:
The Anheuser‑Busch ComBar. Part combine. Part Bar. And a first‑of‑a‑kind, 10‑ton, rolling tribute to farmers. mobile bar built from a real combine harvester. The ComBar transforms one of agriculture’s hardest‑working machines into a one-of-a-kind, fully functioning mobile bar—complete with gleaming beer taps— “thank you” to the growers who power American farming. Every detail of the ComBar—from its colossal size to its original auger-turned-tap and custom wrap—is a reminder of the massive contributions of U.S. farmers to Anheuser-Busch's portfolio of iconic American beers.

From the Field of Dreams to the Iowa State Fair to the largest Ag show of the year — Farm Progress — The ComBar embarked on a nationwide tour, paying tribute to local farmers in communities nationwide, popping up at major agricultural and community events.

Results:
⚡️ 1 billion earned media impressions
⚡️99% Positive Sentiment

Agency: Ogilvy & Mather
Role: Creative Direction, Social, Writing, Moral Support

Challenge:
With 46% of people claiming they won’t feel a positive emotion today, how can a $4 candle turn things around?

Idea:
The Museum of Feelings brought emotion and scent to life through an engaging and immersive experience, inspired by Glade fragrance. Visitors were taken on a sensory journey through the Museum, where scent acted as a muse, inspiring them to explore their emotions.

To support the Museum, we collaborated with Twitter to generate the world’s first ever ‘MoodLens’, a generated selfie that changed to reflect feelings.

Results:
⚡️ 892 million earned media impressions
⚡️ 21.5K user Instagram photos
⚡️ 72% of people surprised Glade was behind it

Recognition:
🏆 Cannes x10
🏆 One Show x4
🏆 Webby Awards
🏆 Clio Awards
🏆 London International Awards x3
🏆 Communication Arts - Interactive Annual
🏆 Ogilvy - Raphaelson Award: Campaign of the Year
🏆 Adweek "Best of Ogilvy Advertising" 
🏆 Best of Ogilvy, VOL. 8 

Agency: Unlimited
Role: Creative Direction

Challenge:
When McDonald’s isn’t known as a chicken place, how do you convince people to take their new Buttermilk Crispy Tenders seriously? 

Idea:
Bring in the ultimate cooking experts to endorse them. Grandmas.

In additional to their mastery of chicken, we wanted to show their expertise on all sorts of things. So, using Facebook’s proprietary segmentation tool, we categorized our audience into groups, then served up relevant advice from grandmas based on their own particular interests.

From Motocross and Gaming, to Break Ups and Mixed Martial Arts and many other subjects, grandmas dished out their POV over a plate of McDonald’s chicken tenders.

Results:
⚡️ 314% video completion rate, above benchmark
⚡️ 192% ad recall rate
⚡️ Product sold out in US McDonald’s stores

Recognition: 
🏆 ADDYs x6
🗞️ The Drum
🗞️ Creativity - Editor’s Pick

Agency: Allstate In-House Agency
Role: Creative Direction

Challenge:
How can you breathe new energy into a decade-old ad icon?

Idea:
Trouble has always existed, and always will. But for the last 90 years, Allstate has continually evolved how they protect people from it.

To reflect this, we brought back the classic Mayhem anti-hero, with an approach leaning more into contemporary culture.

Tempting take out. Frappucinos. Tik Tok challenges. Smart home devices. The latest exercise craze. Today’s kind of trouble.

Agency: Unlimited
Role: Creative Direction

Challenge:
When 14 million people experience the winter blues, how do you build anticipation for spring during the long, cold, gray winter?

Idea:
Using social listening, we discovered during this time people really look forward to the annual return of one McDonald’s classic to help them cope. The Shamrock Shake.

We pinpointed one city with an extreme case of winter blahs and brought them something special — the ultimate beacon of positivity mashed up with this product for one unforgettable, sharable, feel-good experience. 

Shambow, the Shamrock Shake rainbow.

Results:
⚡️ 10 million impressions
⚡️ 97% positive social sentiment

Recognition:
🏆 ADDYs x4
🗞️ Creativity - Editor’s Pick
🗞️ Adweek - Ad of the Day

Agency: Unlimited
Role: Creative Direction

Challenge:
How do you respond to fans of cult TV show “Rick & Morty” when an episode calls for the return of a McNugget dipping sauce discontinued decades earlier?

Idea:
In an unprecedented move, we responded to fans, recreating some of the Szechuan Sauce. After studying up on “Rick & Morty” culture, we sent one bottle to the show’s co-creator, Justin Roiland, while three more bottles went to fans in a Periscope livestream event.

After demand surged, we brought limited quantities of the sauce back to the masses — for just one day. Fans stormed McDonald’s across the country, causing traffic jams, massive lines and riots — all for a taste of the much-sought-after sauce. 

Results:
⚡️ 600 million impressions
⚡️ 200,000 livestream viewers

Recognition:
🏆 Cannes
🏆 One Show
🏆 Webbys x2
🏆 Effies x5
🏆 The Drum Social Buzz Awards x3
🏆 Agency Project of the Year
🏆 Global Creative Excellence Award - McDonald’s x DDB  
🏆 Creativity - Best of the Year
🗞️ Time 
🗞️ Mashabale 

Agency: McGarryBowen
Role: Creative Direction, Writing, Production, Social, UX

Challenge:
When a condiment has become polarizing in some households, how do you encourage even more debate around it?

Idea:
Enter the Miracle Whip “Not for Every Relationship” Contest. Couples shared their stories about how this fair condiment brought them together — or tore them apart — for a chance at 25 grand to put toward a wedding. Or a divorce. 

The video of a priest and a lawyer set up guidelines and kicked the whole thing off.

Results:
⚡️ 98 million earned impressions
⚡️ 631% increase in social engagement with brand

Recognition: 
🗞️ Google Creative Canvas
🗞️  Ad Age
🗞️  National Review
🗞️ Huffington Post
🗞️ Adweek

Agency: Ogilvy
Role: Creative Direction

Challenge:
How do you grow a cult brand without disturbing its cred?

Idea:
Tapping into the lifestyle behaviors of the audience, we wholeheartedly embraced the maker movement — encouraging a lifestyle of making, baking, gardening, DIYing and crafting.

Instead of just telling people to use our products for cleaning up messes, we proudly promoted the mantra "Just Keep Making."

Results:
⚡️ 26.6% sales growth

Recognition:
🏆 Effie Awards - Bronze
🏆 Effie Awards - Finalist x3

Agency: Unlimited
Role: Creative Direction, Writing

Challenge:
How do we push McDonald’s value programs beyond just price and product messaging?

Idea:
Dig into that little bit of joy you get when you find a little extra dough you didn’t know you had. 

You might find it in a seldom-worn pair of pants. In the living room couch cushions. In the kitchen junk drawer. Or in your car’s cup holder.

Likewise, there’s happiness in spending it on something fun and delicious, like items off the McDonald’s $1 $2 $3 Dollar Menu.

Nice, right?