AUCKLAND, Today: McDonald’s is adding some serious magic to mealtime with Magic Stories, a new AI-powered feature in the McDonald’s app (in the Netherlands). Each visit becomes a fun, animated story where your family are the stars.
Whether you’re dining in or getting delivery, the app turns ordinary visits into memorable digital stories. Over time, these become a collection of family moments you can watch again and again.
With customer expectations always growing, McDonald’s is mixing storytelling and tech to keep people coming back — especially families looking for something more personal.
“McDonald’s has always been part of family moments – it’s in our DNA. No family is the same, and with Magic Stories, we can build a more personal connection with each of them in a novel way by using AI and by making them the main characters,” said Malou Buné, Marketing Manager Digital at McDonald’s Netherlands.
“Everyone who eats at McDonald’s carries these stories, and that becomes your personal mythology with the brand.” – Malou Buné
“The insight behind it all was that there’s always a story behind each McDonald’s visit — whether it’s celebrating after a soccer game, getting together for a birthday, or just picking up takeout for a cozy night in.
“Everyone who eats at McDonald’s carries these stories, and that becomes your personal mythology with the brand. We wanted to bring that to life. The idea was to build a personal, ever-evolving customer story — where each visit or interaction unlocks a new chapter in your family’s epic.
“Literally making brand storytelling personal for the first time ever,” said Mikko Pietilä, Regional CCXO of NEXT at TBWA.
“Magic Stories is a testament to the power of collaboration within the TBWA collective. This project brought together creatives from across the globe, led by TBWA\NEBOKO in Amsterdam and TBWA\Helsinki’s NEXT unit, which focuses on brand experiences and innovation.”
Inside the app, every McDonald’s visit or Family Mode session unlocks a “magic item” — a digital collectible that adds a twist to your family’s story. It’s all designed to be fun and super personalized.
“From the beginning, we knew we were building something more meaningful and enduring than a traditional campaign.” – Umberto Onza
The stories themselves are shaped by how you use the app and your responses to optional prompts. AI takes it from there — building animated adventures based on your everyday life.
The tech was built by TBWA’s NEXT team in Helsinki, using large language models and custom image generators to make each family’s story unique and surprising.
“We had many technical elements running side by side — and on top of each other — so it was essential to ensure that every puzzle piece fit together perfectly,” said Umberto Onza, Design Director, GenAI at TBWA\Helsinki.
Because this project goes way beyond a typical ad, the team needed a rock-solid setup — from creative to tech to legal — to make sure it runs smoothly and scales reliably.
“From the beginning, we knew we were building something more meaningful and enduring than a traditional campaign. That’s why it was important to bring in specialists across creative, tech, and legal from day one,” Onza added.
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