How McDonald’s Tweaked AI for a Breakfast Ad
We’re talking about a 10-second spot that hit their app and streaming platforms around noon, aimed at 25-40-year-olds in the Midwest battling a chilly 60°F morning rush, and it’s not a shot in the dark—it’s their marketing team dialing in prompts to nail the timing, the crowd, and that craveable breakfast hook. This isn’t a campaign that simmered for months with endless meetings, it’s McDonald’s data crew—analysts and ad folks—using live order stats and a sharp AI rig to turn a cold day into hot sales, all before the clock hit midday. Let’s dig into how they made it happen today, March 20, straight from the drive-thru.
McDonald’s has been leaning into AI hard since they teamed up with IBM and bought Dynamic Yield back in 2019, building a system that’s like their secret sauce for sniffing out what we want and when. Today started early, around 7 a.m., when their Chicago insights team clocked a pattern—app orders for breakfast sandwiches were up 10% this week in the Midwest, tied to a 60°F cold snap across Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, the kind of weather that screams “grab something warm and quick.” They’ve got a mountain of data rolling in—50 million app transactions a month, weather feeds, even traffic pings from urban hubs—and the mission was clear, craft an ad for the Egg McMuffin to catch this rush before it fades into lunch. By 8 a.m., they’re feeding prompts into their AI setup, starting loose, “Make a breakfast ad for Midwest customers,” but it’s too broad—AI kicks back a bland pancake spot, no zip, no pull.
They don’t flinch, this is where the tweak kicks in, a lead analyst named Jamal jumps on it, pulling live stats from their system—think 20 million breakfast orders since January, with McMuffin sales spiking 15% on days below 65°F—and tightens the prompt by 8:30 a.m., “Design a 10-second ad for Egg McMuffin, target 25-40-year-olds in Midwest cities, 60°F weather, morning rush, cozy and fast vibe.” Five minutes later, the AI’s got a rough cut—a commuter in a puffy jacket, stuck in Chicago traffic, grabs a McMuffin from a bag, takes a bite, and grins, “Warmth in a rush,” with a tagline, “Beat the Cold, Grab the Gold.” It’s decent, but the pacing’s slow—too chill for the rush—so Jamal tweaks again, “Same brief, but up the tempo, make it snappy, add a coffee hook,” and by 9 a.m., it’s locked, same commuter, faster cuts, coffee steaming, “Cold out? Heat up fast,” tagline sticks.
The tweak’s the key, McDonald’s isn’t guessing here, they’re tapping their data vault—$100 billion in yearly sales gives them a fat stack of insights—and a team that knows how to steer AI on a dime. By 9:30 a.m., the creative crew—two editors and a sound guy—takes over, feeding the script to a video AI tied to their cloud, likely IBM Watson, pulling stock clips of Midwest streets, a McDonald’s counter, and that golden McMuffin, stitching it live. The first render’s out by 10 a.m.—10 seconds, tight, the commuter’s bite lands with a crunch, coffee steam sells the warmth—but the sound’s off, no punch. They tweak the prompt, “Add a quick beat drop on the bite, upbeat morning vibe,” and by 10:30, it’s got that snap, a drum hit that makes you feel the rush.
This isn’t luck, McDonald’s has been drilling their staff on AI since 2020—10,000 employees trained globally—and today, March 20, it’s cashing in, the ad’s wrapped by 11 a.m., exported as an MP4, and handed to their media team. They know their targets cold—40 million app users who’ve grabbed breakfast in the last 90 days, narrowed to 8 million in the Midwest—and by noon, it’s live, hitting 25-40s on streaming apps mid-commute or mid-meeting. By 2 p.m., it’s clocked 3 million views, and app orders for McMuffins are up 12% from yesterday’s haul in Chicago alone. In 2025, this quick pivot’s a power move, turning a morning chill into a midday win, all because they tweaked the AI sharp.
The tech’s solid, their AI’s running Python under the hood—lean, fast, hooked to their cloud—crunching 5 terabytes of live data, from order times to traffic jams, spitting out a script in under 10 minutes once the prompt’s right. The video AI’s pulling 50,000 clips, syncing sound at 60 FPS, rendering in HD, all while the team tweaks live, three prompt runs—loose, focused, polished—to land it, and it’s learning, next cold snap it’ll start snappier. It’s not just the rig, it’s Jamal’s squad knowing their crowd—25-40s who order 7-9 a.m., crave warmth at 60°F, a combo their data’s tracked since 2022.
There’s some hustle, though, first prompt flopped because it missed the rush—AI doesn’t feel “cold” without a push, and a glitch in the traffic feed almost swapped Chicago for Miami’s 80°F, caught by an editor at 9:45. It’s not free—cloud costs hit $20,000 a month, pocket change for McDonald’s $25 billion revenue, but steep for smaller chains. And it’s McMuffin-only today—hashbrowns or McGriddles need their own run, not there yet. In 2025, it’s a score with sweat, but it’s scoring, March 20 shows it.
The payoff’s rolling, by 4 p.m., views hit 6 million, McMuffin orders in Midwest stores jump 18% from Monday, and app searches for “Egg McMuffin” spike 15,000—an ad born at 7 a.m., cashing in by dusk. It’s not a guess, it’s prompt play—tweak quick, drop quicker, win now—and today, it’s moving trays. I’m picturing a commuter in Ohio grabbing one tonight, and it’s McDonald’s nailing breakfast.
They’ll keep this tight, by fall, expect “10-second ads in two hours” or “tweak for a snow day live,” faster, bolder. In 2025, it’s real, it’s now, a play that’s McDonald’s owning the morning. Today, March 20, it’s an ad tweaked this morning, raking it in tonight, and they’re not stopping.
