Grimace Debuts in Australia with Nationwide Campaign

In an exciting development for fans of McDonald’s in Australia, the globally popular Grimace Shake has officially been launched, accompanied by an extensive integrated brand campaign devised by the brand experience and innovation company, Akcelo. The campaign, named ‘Very Important Purple,’ aims to elevate Grimace, the iconic purple mascot, to rockstar status Down Under.

Speaking about the new campaign, Amanda Nakad, Marketing Director for McDonald's Australia, remarked, “Grimace has been making fuzzy waves around the globe, and now it’s our turn to celebrate. The Grimace Shake is fun, vibrant, and bursting with flavour. It’s a tribute to Grimace and the joy he’s brought to Macca’s fans over the years. So buckle up – we’re finally giving Aussies what they’ve been waiting for, and we know they’re going to LOVE it.”

The rollout of the campaign started with a teaser placed strategically at last weekend’s AFL Grand Final, followed by an eye-catching baggage carousel takeover at Sydney Airport. The campaign will see Grimace’s purple charm spread throughout Australian McDonald’s restaurants by this Friday, supported by a comprehensive multi-channel promotional strategy involving TV, Cinema, Digital, Out-Of-Home (OOH), Social Media, in-restaurant experiences, activations, CRM, through influencers, and public relations efforts.

Oskar Westerdal, Creative Partner at Akcelo, expressed enthusiasm stating, “Macca’s fans of every generation adore Grimace, so his arrival here is a big deal. With this campaign, we’ve captured the unfiltered excitement of the Aussie public and Macca’s own crew, a feeling beautifully brought to life by India Harris (Rabbit) and Juliet Taylor (Pool Collective), and all our production partners.”

Akcelo’s CEO, Aden Hepburn, also added, “This project has brought so much joy to every corner of Akcelo. From our restaurant experience and packaging design team, to our strategists, creatives, and producers – everyone simply can’t help but love Grimace, and we are thrilled to have been tasked with creating this incredible campaign in his name.”

The campaign team comprised McDonald’s Australia executives including Chief Customer Officer Chris Brown, Senior Brand Manager Maxine Netrayana, and Assistant Brand Manager Samantha Lau, working alongside the creative minds at Akcelo and their partners like Rabbit and The Editors handling production and post-production tasks, respectively.