McDonald’s longtime chief marketing and customer experience officer Tariq Hassan announced his resignation this week. His role will be filled by Alyssa Buetikofer, current CMO of McDonald’s Canada, from Feb. 15.
According to internal data, 90% of the U.S. population visits the fast-food chain every year, making it one of the biggest marketing briefs in the country.
Since 2021, ADWEEK Brand Genius honoree Hassan has helped redefine the brand for Gen Z and cement its place in culture through buzzy digital-first campaigns that have shifted the tone from “brand-to-fan” to “fan-to-fan.”
Whether celebrating the birthday of purple, furry mascot Grimace or letting customers order the same meal as their favorite celebrity, Hassan’s strategy was rooted in what he described as “fan truths:” the moments, memories, and real-life experiences that make McDonald’s relevant to individuals.
As the Golden Arches ushers in a new era of marketing leadership, ADWEEK reflects on Hassan’s buzziest campaigns.
2021: ‘Famous Orders’ (Wieden + Kennedy NY)
Famous Orders debuted before Hassan arrived at McDonald’s in 2020 with the launch of the “Travis Scott Meal.”
The campaign from Wieden+Kennedy (W+K) New York pushed the universal truth that everyone has a go-to McDonald’s order, even customers as iconic as Magic Johnson and Kim Kardashian.
Scott’s combo (the first celebrity item to grace the fast-food chain’s menu since Michael Jordan’s McJordan in 1992) was the brainchild of McDonald’s U.S.-turned-global CMO Morgan Flatley.
After arriving from Petco in 2021, Hassan took the work to new heights through collaborations with Mariah Carey, Cardi B and Offset, and more.
Speaking to ADWEEK for a cover story in 2023, he said he wanted to deepen the connection the Travis Scott meal kickstarted with younger audiences.
“We’ve shifted our logic of being a brand that speaks brand-to-fan to one that speaks fan-to-fan,” he said, revealing that every communication McDonald’s puts out in the U.S. was derived from a physical book containing these vignettes.
