McDonald's of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana

December '23/ January '24

Your GCM, ACM, HCM and AACM Public Relations Support at a Glance

Hello MOCNI! It's been a busy start to the year with a range of initiatives including the return of the Double Big Mac, surprising a former crew member, who is one of MOCNI's 1 in 8 and exploring Waukegan and Lemont with WGN "Your Hometown." From all of us at Flowers Communications Group, Hernandez & Garcia, and Porter Novelli, we are looking forward to all the great things to come in 2024! 

Once again, McDonald's sparked a sense of nostalgia with the help of both visionary artist Kerwin Frost and some special McNugget Buddies. Growing up in Harlem, New York, Kerwin's McNugget Buddy collection was his source of creative inspiration. So, McDonald's brought them back and introduced fans to "Frost Way!" Needless to say, the Kerwin Frost box was a one-of-a-kind global hit! The collaboration secured 14 media placements and was featured in local outlets such as NBC Chicago, Chicago Business, and WGN – reaching a combined audience of 21.7 million.  

In December, McDonald's Squismallows Happy Meal made its debut. Fans had the opportunity to collect Squishmallow characters, including McDonaldland character – Grimace! The launch of the Squishmallows Happy Meals secured 13 media placements and got picked-up by local media outlets including CBS Chicago, NBC 5, and FOX 32 – reaching a combined audience of 17.5 million.  

On January 31st, Bear Family McDonald's stopped by the Niles Fire Department to surprise Chief Marty and his crew with McDonald’s meals. Just like 1 in 8 Chicagoans, Marty is a former McDonald’s crew. His location was in Niles, and he even went back a few weeks ago to participate in the “Fries with Firefighters” event. We are thankful for Chief Marty and his work, and we are proud to celebrate him as a member of our McFamily!

McDonald's is doubling up on its famous Big Mac! If you've ever ordered a Big Mac and thought you wanted more beef, you’re not alone. For a limited time, McDonald's is bringing back its beloved Double Big Mac, which has all the same ingredients as the classic Big Mac, with the addition of two more beef patties and more Big Mac sauce. The news of the Double Big Mac was picked-up by local media 22 times in outlets such as 103.5 KISS FM, ABC 7, and WGN Morning News – reaching a combined audience of 23.7 million.    

The Chinese America Service League (CASL) hosted its 45th black-tie Anniversary Gala in 2023 – presented by the Sue Ling Gin Foundation Trust at the Bridgeport Art Center. Hosted by ABC-7 Anchor Judy Hsu, AMOA continued to showcase its support for CASL by sponsoring the event at the Bronze Horse level. This included AMOA signage on the invitations, tickets and website, as well as the Gala’s entrance, presentation screens, post-event correspondence and CASL’s impact report.    

Porter Novelli continues to partner with WGN to highlight what makes local Chicagoland communities special, and how organizations and small business owners help support the broader community.  

For December’s partnership feature, WGN spotlighted Lemont.

For January's partnership feature, WGN spotlighted Waukegan.

Below please find key pieces of coverage from the Your Hometown, partnership:

WGN Lemont Social Promotion

12/7 – Facebook with 2,466 impressions 

12/7 – X with 452 views 

12/7 – Instagram Story with 140 impressions 

12/11 – X with 529 views 

12/11 – Facebook with 800 impressions 

12/13 – Instagram Story with 115 impressions 

12/13 – X (video tease) with 823 views 

12/13 – Facebook (video tease) with 981 impressions 

12/14 – X (link to video) with 438 views 

12/14 – Facebook (link to video) with 137 impressions 

12/14 – Facebook (Village of Lemont tagged, mayor interview) with 535 impressions 

12/14 – Instagram Story with 161 impressions 

12/14 – Instagram Story (McDonald’s TAGGED) with 279 impressions over two frames 

12/15 – X (full video) with 1,159 views 

12/15 – Facebook (full video) with 6,796 impressions 

WGN Waukegan Social Promotion

1/18 – Instagram Story (ALL TAGGED) with 319 impressions

1/18 – Facebook (ALL TAGGED) with 4,817 impressions

1/18 – X (ALL TAGGED) with 383 views

1/22 – X (photos, ALL TAGGED) with 668 views

1/22 – Facebook (photos, ALL TAGGED) with 1,225 impressions

1/24 – X (video tease, ALL TAGGED) with 761 views

1/24 – Facebook (video tease, ALL TAGGED) with 200 impressions

1/24 – Instagram Story (ALL TAGGED) with 220 impressions

1/25 – X (ALL TAGGED) with 1,445 views

1/25 – Facebook (link to video, ALL TAGGED) with 389 impressions

1/25 – X (link to video, ALL TAGGED) with 407 views

1/25 – Instagram Story (ALL TAGGED) with 178 impressions

1/25 – Instagram Story (McDonald’s tagged) with 290 impressions over 2 frames

1/25 – Facebook (McDonald’s tagged) with 3,936 impressions

1/26 – X (ALL TAGGED, embedded video) with 742 views

1/26 – Facebook (ALL TAGGED, embedded video) with 1,660 impressions