The objective for this piece of content was to highlight the unique angle of the Dias family, who are McDonald’s franchisees in Arizona. The goal was to capture their different tasks and duties alongside each other across their various roles and to communicate all the different opportunities at McDonald’s, both in and outside of the restaurants. Additionally, we hoped to emphasize the multigenerational angle of the family and show Paul’s daughters following in his footsteps. We hoped to strengthen both the brand’s positive reputation and advocacy by laddering up to key POVs of how working for McDonald’s a restaurant job is far more than just.
In showcasing the Dias family, we aimed to bring authenticity and relatability to the forefront and demonstrate how a career at McDonald’s can extend beyond the counter into leadership, community involvement, and entrepreneurship. Instagram’s visual storytelling tools allowed us to create dynamic, people-first content that felt engaging, genuine, and easy to share.
The campaign’s objective was not only to inform, but to inspire and spotlight how McDonald’s empowers individuals and families to grow together professionally. By humanizing the brand through the perspective of real franchisees, we aimed to strengthen emotional connection, build brand trust, and underscore the message that McDonald’s offers meaningful opportunities that support small business owners.
Our strategy centered on using Instagram’s immersive storytelling capabilities to humanize the McDonald’s brand through the lens of the Arizona-based Dias family whose story highlights both professional growth and community connection. To bring this vision to life, we focused on authenticity and captured unscripted moments that showcased the family’s diverse roles and responsibilities, while emphasizing how opportunities at McDonald’s extend well beyond restaurant walls.
Plan of Action:
We began by identifying the Dias family as ideal multigenerational brand ambassadors whose story could illustrate the multifaceted nature of McDonald’s franchise ownership. Pre-production involved mapping out the family’s day-to-day experiences, from restaurant management and employee mentorship to community engagement, ensuring we represented a well-rounded view of their days as professionals. Storyboarding centered around pairing intimate community interactions with the fast-paced energy of the restaurants to create content that was both personal and aspirational.
Execution:
On Instagram, we leveraged the video format to deliver short-form, visually compelling content that resonates with audiences accustomed to quick, impactful storytelling. We interwove footage of the Dias family in action with exciting audio and text overlays, making the narrative approachable and easy to follow even if audiences did not listen to the audio.
Key Features:
Visual storytelling: Crisp, dynamic edits and transitions highlighted the variety of career paths available.
Human connection: Centering on a real family helped audiences see McDonald’s as a place of growth and belonging.
Platform-native creativity: Use of Reels format, vertical video, and interactive features aligned with Instagram best practices.
Challenges & Solutions:
One challenge was balancing the family’s authentic voice with the broader brand messaging. To overcome this, we ensured the emphasis on Paul’s daughters taking after him while having defined roles of their own remained front and center while still aligning with McDonald’s thematic goals. Another challenge was capturing the breadth of opportunities without overwhelming the audience. We solved this by focusing on distinct story “beats” (shift manager, general manager, franchisee) crafted into a concise piece of content that felt well-rounded rather than overloaded.
Uniqueness:
What made this campaign distinctive was its ability to merge brand reputation with genuine, human-led storytelling. Rather than relying on overly-polished corporate messaging, we showcased an everyday family thriving within the McDonald’s system, making the brand feel approachable, aspirational, and emotionally resonant. By leaning into Instagram’s strengths, we ensured the content felt native to the platform, driving organic engagement and reinforcing McDonald’s as more than just a place to eat, but rather a place to build meaningful careers and connections.
The campaign successfully met its objective of elevating McDonald’s reputation while highlighting the depth of opportunities available to multiple generations of a family. The content resonated strongly on Instagram, generating over 15K impressions and more than 600 total interactions across likes, comments, shares, and saves. These results underscore that the Dias family’s authentic story connected with audiences and encouraged engagement beyond passive viewing.
The high level of organic interaction demonstrated that viewers found the content both relatable and shareable, validating our strategy to lead with human-centered storytelling rather than overly polished corporate messaging. Positive comments and saves suggest that the content was not only impactful in the moment but also served as an inspiring reference point for potential franchisees, reinforcing long-term value.
From a brand perspective, the campaign advanced McDonald’s advocacy efforts by showcasing real franchisee voices, strengthening the message that the company offers meaningful, multifaceted career paths. The blend of high reach and strong engagement indicated that the campaign achieved a balance of scale and substance which reached thousands while sparking genuine dialogue and connection.
Ultimately, the results proved our approach was a success: by spotlighting the Dias family in a way that felt natural and platform-native, we deepened audience trust, strengthened the employer brand, and delivered measurable impact through meaningful engagement.