McDonald’s confirms the McRib is back after series of ‘mistakes’

Following a series of subtle clues in a smart campaign by Leo Burnett, the chain has officially revealed that its BBQ pork sandwich is making a comeback.

Recently, fans of McDonald's spotted several "errors" from the brand, such as weird app notifications and some mysterious advertisements. Today, the fast-food giant and its advertising agency, Leo Burnett, revealed that these were intentional moves, part of a smart plan to generate excitement for the return of the McRib.

The campaign kicked off with an intriguing push notification that was sent to millions of users of the McDonald’s app, displaying the message: “McRib_Test.notification_16.10.24 [TEST].” This was just the beginning of the teasing. Soon after, a faulty email was sent to McDonald’s customer relationship management (CRM) contacts, igniting a flurry of speculation on social media about the potential comeback of the McRib. Fans in London even reported seeing unusual McRib advertisements, questioning whether they were imagining things.

To build up the excitement, Leo Burnett crafted a unique soundtrack called McRib FM, which was played in McDonald's locations every couple of hours and premiered on Spotify in early October. On October 7, enigmatic outdoor advertisements surfaced with the phrase “The McRib isn’t not back,” further stirring up curiosity. McDonald's had fun interacting with fans, playfully writing captions for the hints such as “Just to clarify, it’s almost definitely probably not not not making a return.”

The waiting game is finally over. McDonald’s has released a brief advertisement featuring DMX’s Party Up (Up in Here), proudly announcing: “The McRib is returning.”

Alexandra Martin, a senior brand manager at McDonald’s, shared, “We’ve had some fun engaging with McRib enthusiasts through unexpected notifications, quirky ads, and plenty of teasers. But now the surprise is revealed! This is the real deal. The McRib is making its triumphant return. We can't wait to witness everyone’s excitement. It’s time for fans to dive right in!”

Andrew Long and James Millers, the executive creative directors at Leo Burnett UK, expressed, “The McRib is a symbol of culture, so we aimed to do more than simply honor that; we wanted to enhance and expand its legendary reputation. By grasping how the brand resonates in everyday life, we’ve created excitement in a fun and culturally significant manner that fans have really enjoyed.”