McDonald’s Grimace Campaign: Turning Bus Shelters into Interactive OOH Experiences
- Case Studies
In Singapore’s dense and fast-paced media environment, Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising has been long valued for its scale and visibility. For McDonald’s Singapore, the opportunity went a step further to transform that visibility into active engagement during the Grimace Shake campaign.
Fuelled by the viral popularity of Grimace, the campaign set out to connect with Gen Z audiences in a way that felt immediate, playful, and rewarding, while driving meaningful outcomes such as mobile app adoption and usage.
Rather than relying on static exposure, the focus shifted to a more ambitious question:
How can digital bus shelter advertising become an interactive experience within the short moments of a commuter’s journey?
Bringing Interacting Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) to Life
The campaign was built on a simple behavioural insight: Commuters don’t lack attention, they lack reasons to engage.
Bus shelters, with their high dwell time and repeated exposure across key commuter routes, were reimagined as participation-led digital out-of-home (DOOH) touchpoints.
Commuters were invited to scan a QR code to unlock a short augmented reality (AR) experience, where Grimace appeared on their mobile devices — turning passive viewing into active participation.
Creative executions were dynamically updated using real-time triggers such as bus arrival timings and weather conditions, increasing relevance and urgency.
The experience was designed to drive frictionless conversion:
- Existing users were deep-linked directly into the McDonald’s app
- New users were prompted to download before accessing rewards
OOH also served as the entry point into a broader ecosystem, where engaged audiences were retargeted across mobile channels to drive continued interaction.
From Interaction to Engagement
The campaign demonstrates how interactive DOOH advertising can move beyond awareness to drive meaningful engagement.
- Encouraged active participation through AR-led interaction
- Created seamless pathways from physical exposure to mobile engagement
- Leveraged contextual triggers to enhance relevance and immediacy
- Enabled continued engagement through a connected media ecosystem
Crucially, it established a clear pathway from OOH exposure to mobile action, reinforcing OOH’s role as a performance-driven channel.
Redefining the Role of OOH
By integrating AR, real-time data, and mobile retargeting, the campaign repositioned bus shelter advertising in Singapore as more than a visibility platform.
It became a responsive, interactive, and conversion-led channel — demonstrating how digital out-of-home advertising can connect physical environments with digital behaviour, and deliver real business impact.
Ready to Create an Impactful OOH Campaign?
Stellar Ace’s network spans Every Street, Every Screen, Island-wide — offering unmatched reach and opportunities for creative, high-impact executions.
If you’re looking to turn your next campaign into a breakthrough moment, we’re here to help bring your ideas to life. Contact us here and let's make it happen!