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Designing Against Division

For the IF Student Design Award, we created a child-focused solution that uses McDonald’s global platform to combat rising xenophobia by promoting early cultural understanding and inclusive dialogue.

Problem:

Children in homogenous areas lack cultural exposure often leading to xenophobia, a gap McDonald’s could help address at scale.

Insight:

Kids learn culture best through playful and communal rituals like collecting, storytelling, and rewards with peers and family.

Solution:

We created the “McPassport,” a speculative Happy Meal add-on praised for its cultural depth and brand fit.

Systemic Multi-Channel Campaign

Creating Curiousity across the Customer Journey

A playful, multi-platform campaign that leverages McDonald’s scale to promote cultural empathy through family engagement and repeat interaction.

Encouraging exploration: Inspired families to “Discover the World” through culturally rich activities that combat xenophobia at its roots.
Integrated experience: Combined in-store materials, digital prompts, and the McPassport activity book to create a cohesive, curiosity-driven journey.
Incentivized learning: Used rewards and gamified progress tracking to drive repeat visits and deepen cultural conversations at home.

Tangible Fun and Learning

Play that builds perspective

The McPassport transforms cultural education into an interactive, social, and reward-driven experience for kids and families.

Hands-on cultural discovery: Packed with playful prompts, games, and activities that introduce children to global traditions and values.
Social by design: Randomized collectible stickers encourage trading, conversation, and collaboration among peers.
Motivated learning: A tiered reward system—from instant treats to cultural event access—keeps families engaged and coming back.

Strategy for Piloting and Validation

Tested for Impact, Designed to Scale

A thoughtful pilot approach ensures cultural engagement is both meaningful and measurable—paving the way for long-term adoption.

Pilot with purpose: Measure participation, collect family feedback, and track shifts in sentiment to validate campaign effectiveness.
Scalable tradition: With success, evolve the initiative into an annual event—positioning McDonald’s as a champion of cultural connection.
Brand-aligned impact: Reinforces McDonald’s community values while addressing xenophobia in a playful, inclusive way.

Overview and Benefits

Shared Joy, Shared Growth

The McPassport campaign benefits families, society, and McDonald’s—turning simple visits into meaningful cultural experiences.

For families: Encourages learning, bonding, and curiosity through fun, shared exploration of global cultures.
For society: Tackles xenophobia early by sparking empathy and understanding in the next generation.
For McDonald’s: Enhances underused customer journey touchpoints, driving repeat visits and deeper brand affinity.