McDonald’s takes out April Kantar Ad Impact Award

There is a rare kind of creative clarity that makes an idea instantly obvious and difficult to forget. McDonald’s ‘Korean BBQ Dunked Range’ hits that sweet spot, centering its execution on a product designed for dunking and bringing it to life through the Harlem Globetrotters – icons of the dunk itself. The campaign turns a functional product behaviour into a moment of spectacle, driving strong performance across Branding, Difference and Enjoyment and securing this month’s Kantar Ad Impact Award.

When the brand is inseparable from the idea

McDonald’s latest execution is a strong example of branding done right. The creative is built around a single, central idea, “Dunked”, and crucially, that idea cannot be separated from the brand itself. The word works on two levels at once: as a product behaviour and as a basketball cue. From the very first moment, the product is at the heart of the action, with the dunking visual acting as both the narrative driver and the brand cue.

Rather than relying on logos or end-frames to signal ownership, the ad integrates branding directly into the experience. The product is not just featured – it is the story. This tight linkage between idea and brand helps strengthen memory structures, ensuring that what people remember is not just the spectacle, but McDonald’s role within it.

Standing out by turning familiarity into something new

A key strength of the ad lies in how it takes something familiar and reframes it in a way that feels fresh and distinctive. The McCrispy platform is already well established, but the introduction of the “dunked” concept elevates it into something more dramatic and unexpected.

This sense of difference comes from a clever creative twist, transforming an everyday product into something that feels new, exciting and worthy of attention. The Harlem Globetrotters help give the Korean BBQ range a culture code that feels instantly understood and relevant for the right audience.

The Ad gives people an easy way to talk about the product, not just as a new flavour, but as a fun, McDonald’s moment.

When the product becomes the spectacle

A defining strength of the ad lies in how it transforms the product into a visual event. The dunking moment is not just a demonstration; it becomes the centrepiece of the entire execution. What could have been a simple sauce cue becomes a performance, with the act of dunking made bigger, more memorable and more talkable.

The Harlem Globetrotters amplify this sense of spectacle, bringing movement, pace and energy that keep viewers engaged from start to finish and give the concept its credibility. Their association with trick shots, showmanship and playful basketball entertainment makes the “Dunked” idea feel natural rather than forced.

By making the product itself the source of entertainment, the ad avoids the common trade-off between enjoyment and message delivery. Instead, it achieves both, creating an execution that is highly engaging while remaining firmly rooted in what is being sold.

“’Dunked’ is a natural extension of the McCrispy platform — taking everything people already love about the burger and dialing it up with even more flavour and impact. By dunking the McCrispy patty, we transformed a familiar product into something new, craveable and visually impossible to ignore. The Harlem Globetrotters partnership brought that ‘dunked’ idea to life in a bold, entertaining way, adding energy and cultural relevance to the campaign. We’re incredibly proud to see a McCrispy extension resonate so strongly with Kiwis and honoured to have the work recognised by Kantar”

– Luke Rive, Director of Marketing, McDonald’s New Zealand.

To enter the awards with your own creative, reach out to adimpactnz@kantar.com

This article was published in StopPress news April 2026.