McDonald’s UK & Ireland is cranking up the temperature with the highly anticipated return of its McSpicy x Frank’s RedHot range, fronted by a bold new creative campaign titled "McDonald’s but Make It Hot". The initiative blends humor, heat, and high-voltage visuals in a cross-channel rollout designed to energize fans of spicy fast food.
Devised by PopDesign, the in-house design studio at Leo Burnett, the campaign kicks off with a 30-second video ad featuring a flaming billboard — literally. The billboard promoting the McSpicy burger ignites in flames, eventually burning away to unveil the full RedHot range, all set to the electric anthem “Danger! High Voltage” by American rock band Electric Six.
In addition to TV and digital video placements, the campaign playfully disrupts McDonald’s own breakfast promotions with RedHot Mayo-themed “lid takeovers”, signaling the message: everything on the menu is now eligible for a spicy twist.
“Last year’s launch proved the appetite for bold, spicy flavors is stronger than ever,” said Matthew Reischauer, Marketing Director at McDonald’s UK & Ireland. “So this year, we’ve not only brought the McSpicy x Frank’s RedHot burger back — we’ve added a new Frank’s RedHot Mayo dip to let fans spice up anything on the menu.”
The campaign goes beyond traditional advertising with a social media challenge dubbed “But Make It Hot”, where influencers on TikTok and Instagram pair mystery menu items with Frank’s RedHot Mayo, inviting fans to do the same. Four creators have been enlisted to kick off the trend, turning heat into content and driving buzz among younger audiences.
McDonald’s has also teamed up with Red Consultancy and Fnatic to host an immersive PR event — a spicy experience that includes influencer tastings and media previews. The integrated campaign spans TV, video-on-demand, outdoor, social media, radio, and YouTube, maximizing exposure across consumer touchpoints.
Ben Hooper, Creative Director at Leo Burnett UK, summed up the approach: “With the McSpicy x Frank’s RedHot and the spicy mayo dip, we wanted to give customers the power to turn up the heat however they like. So we set fire to our billboards, hijacked our own breakfast ads, and issued a national challenge to make everything at McDonald’s hot.”
For fans craving flavor with attitude, McDonald’s latest collab with Frank’s RedHot delivers — turning up the spice and the spectacle in equal measure.
