2026 Winner

As AI made it easy to replicate iconic characters, the Grinch risked losing what made him distinctive in the first place. “The Grinchiest Meal” responded by returning to physical craft, rebuilding his world rather than simulating it. The cave was first mapped in 3D, then constructed entirely on set, shaped through spray foam, scenic painting, flooring and detailed set dressing. Every element followed character logic, from hand-built mechanisms and integrated lighting to subtle McDonald’s cues embedded within the environment. The result was a space that felt authored rather than generated, preserving the texture and specificity of the original world. The campaign outperformed the previous year before launch (1.17M vs. 1.01M impressions) and drove a 27% increase in Grinch Meal sales.

Credits

CLIENT McDonald’s Canada
CMO Francesca Cardarelli;
MARKETING DIR Rebecca Smart;
BRAND SR MANAGER Aryana Heit;
BRAND MANAGER Robyn Van Driel;
BRAND SPECIALIST Shae Talusan;
SOCIAL & BRAND MANAGER Nezariel Scott;
SOCIAL & BRAND SUP Abby Rigonan;
DIGITAL & OWNED CONTENT CONSULTANT Jessica Maganja;
MARKETING MANAGER Andréanne Gilbert;
MARKETING SPECIALIST Clémence Commissaire;
EXT ENGAGEMENT & CAMPAIGNS, SR MANAGER Kristen Hunter;
EXT ENGAGEMENT & CAMPAIGNS, CONSULTANT Nicole Tomassi;
AGENCY W+K GLOBAL EXEC CD Eric Helin;
CD’S Paddy Treacy\ & Alex McClelland; CW Mikayla Dumas; AD Nikki Vandervelde;
GLOBAL HEAD OF INTEGRATED PROD Nick Setounski;
GLOBAL EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Kristen Johnson;
EXEC PROD Monika Ghobrial;
SENIOR PROD Joyce Lee;
SR CREATIVE SERVICES PRODUCER Sophie Turk;
CREATIVE SERVICES PROD Joe Piro;
STUDIO MANAGER Jill Kearton;
STUDIO ARTIST Zachary Anderson;
CHIEF STRAT OFFICER Laura Rowan;
GLOBAL STRAT DIR Tass Tsitsopoulos;
GROUP BRAND STRAT DIR Elliott Altilia;
STRAT DIR Jay Fleming;
BRAND STRAT Elaina Powless;
COMMS STRAT DIR Amelie DeBlois;
SENIOR COMMS STRAT Logan Harvill;
GROUP SOCIAL STRAT DIR Kaylah Burton;
SOCIAL STRAT DIR Elizabeth Stefan;
SOCIAL STRAT Emily Hanson;
GLOBAL MANAGING DIR Brandon Pracht;
AD Mary Cao;
MS Nico Rodriguez;
AS Erica Francis;
AE Sharlyn Barahona;
AE Dishant Verma;
DESIGN LEAD James Hughes;
DESIGNER Brandon Ong-Sy;
SR PROJECT MANAGER Nicole Lee;
PM Cassie Sombat;
EXEC BA MANAGER Sarah Giarraffa;
SR BA MANAGER Ivian Nunez;
BROADCAST TRAFFIC DIRECTOR Sonia Bisono;
TRAFFIC MANAGER Sharon Whiteside;
TRAFFIC MANAGER Laura Guerra;
ACCESSIBILITY ADVISOR Ben Vaughn;
PRODUCTION ALFREDO FILMS;
DIRECTOR Jesse James McElroy;
DIR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Chris Mably;
SOCIAL&TSQ DIR/PHOTOG Ryan Feng;
PROD DESIGN Jeremy Macfarlane;
FOOD STYLIST Noah Witenoff, Carole Brown;
PROD Jeff Daragh;
SOCIAL PROD Julia Batista;
EXEC PROD Holly Rowden;
EDITORIAL COMPANY DAYDREAM EDITORIAL;
EDITOR Red Barbaza;
EXEC PROD Ainslie Thomas;
POST PROD Dez Bailey;
EDIT ASSISTS Erick Valentic, Andy Ngueyn, Jax Guillen;
SOCIALS EDITOR Ohji Inoue;
VFX / FINISHING COMPANY The Vanity; VFX Supervisor Josh Clifton; Colourist Andrew Exworth; VFX/Finishing Artist Sean Cochrane; Executive Producer Kayla Baxter; Executive Producer Stephanie Pennington; AUDIO Oso Audio;
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Harry Knazan;
SOUND DESIGN / ENGINEER Omid Geadizadeh;
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Lauren Dobbie;
MANAGING DIR Hannah Graham;