McHappy Day
Campaign Branding
Recognition
Transform awards 2024
Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Australia raises much-needed funds to help seriously ill or injured children and their families stay together and close to the care they need while undergoing treatment in hospital. Their biggest fundraising event of the year is McHappy Day.
Following Covid, McHappy Day was affected, with 2022 being the first year in a long time that donation targets weren't met. As McHappy Day approached its 32nd year, McDonald’s aimed to inspire Australians to contribute generously again, leading to a brand refresh.
The solution to all of this came from the concept: happiness. Which sat at the heart of the McHappy Day proposition: the happiest day of the year, for you, them, and us.
Happiness was central to our strategy, guiding our design solution for McHappy Day. We transitioned from a grid system to a "grin system," using the shape of a smile to infuse joy throughout the brand.
The iconic Ronald McDonald smile was modernised, and our Speedee typeface reinforced it in the word mark and headlines. The colour palette maintained the core Red & Gold, with joyful accents to differentiate the campaign from the everyday McDonald's brand.
Additionally, we developed a suite of playful illustrations—ranging from helping hands to silly socks and smiley fries echoing the logo's stylistic cues.
McHappy Day 2023 was the most successful since its inception in 1991.
McDonald’s raised a record-breaking $AU6.4m—the equivalent of 40,000 nights accommodation at Ronald McDonald Houses for the families of seriously ill children.
In terms of media, 1,700 pieces of editorial were secured and 65m people were reached.
