The Creative Brief Template Behind McDonald’s Viral Adult Happy Meal Campaign

Most viral campaigns feel like magic. But in my experience, the ones that actually work—the ones that feel cohesive, emotionally resonant, and genuinely creative—are built on structure. And that structure usually starts with one thing: a clear, compelling creative brief.

Take McDonald’s Adult Happy Meal campaign. On the surface, it looked like pure nostalgic chaos: limited-edition toys, buzzy influencer posts, sneaker-drop-style unboxings. But the real magic wasn’t just the concept. It was how every creator managed to tell the same core story in their own way—joyful, weird, and completely on-brand.

That kind of creative alignment doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when a brand gives creators the right emotional and creative direction, the right format suggestions, and the right tone, all in a brief that empowers creativity rather than restricting it.

In this post, I’ll break down what made McDonald’s brief so effective, and share how to build a reusable creative brief template of your own. This kind of template gives you a ready-to-customize structure you can use across campaigns—ensuring your messaging stays consistent, your expectations are clear, and your creators have freedom to do what they do best.

The “Adult Happy Meal” Campaign: Joyful Chaos Meets Grown-Up Fun

When McDonald’s teamed up with streetwear brand Cactus Plant Flea Market to launch the Adult Happy Meal, it wasn’t just selling burgers and collectible toys, it was selling a feeling. That feeling? Pure, chaotic nostalgia reimagined for grown-ups who still love a hype drop.

The campaign lit up TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Unboxings. Streetwear-style reveal videos. Side-by-side comparisons of childhood toys and their trippy, grown-up remixes. Creators took the concept and ran with it. And the content explosion felt completely organic, but it was anything but unplanned.

The secret was a smart, focused creative brief.

McDonald’s gave influencers clear emotional and visual direction:

"Unbox your Happy Meal like it's a sneaker drop. Tap into childhood joy, but make it weird."

This combination of structure and freedom meant creators could have fun with the format while staying on-brand. No two videos looked exactly the same, but they all spoke the same emotional language.

What Was in the Brief:

• Brand Tone: Playful, nostalgic, a little chaotic—but still clean and confident
  
  
• Creative Direction: Emphasize the toy as a collectible moment (like streetwear), not just a novelty
  
  
• Platform-Specific Tips:
  
  
  • TikTok: Unboxing and reactions with expressive audio
    
    
  • Instagram: Aesthetic reveals and grid-worthy flat lays
    
    
  • YouTube: Story-driven nostalgia with a collector’s vibe
    
    
• Influencer Prompt: “Make it feel like a drop. Give people FOMO.”
  
  
• Content Guidelines: Tag @McDonalds, use #AdultHappyMeal, avoid explicit comparisons to competitor toys

The Results:

• Over 3 million TikTok mentions
  
  
• Campaign sold out in multiple U.S. cities within days
  
  
• Dozens of influencers created spontaneous follow-up content after seeing others go viral
  
  
• A massive wave of user-generated content with almost no paid amplification

This campaign proved what creative directors and campaign managers know instinctively: a strong creative brief doesn’t stifle originality. It sets it free. And when it’s done well, the audience doesn’t just see your campaign. They feel it.

McDonald’s campaign worked because every part of the brief was intentional. Let’s break down what goes into a high-performing creative brief so you can build one, too.

Anatomy of a High-Performing Creative Brief Template

In my experience, the best influencer campaigns don’t start with content—they start with direction.

A strong creative brief acts as the foundation. It gives everyone involved, from brand teams to external creators, a shared understanding of what the campaign is about, how it should feel, and what success looks like. When done right, it brings consistency without killing creativity.

Here’s what I’ve seen work again and again in high-performing briefs:

Campaign Objective

What are you trying to achieve? Awareness, engagement, UGC, clicks, conversions? Be specific. When creators know your end goal, they’re more likely to shape content that actually drives it.

Example: “Drive excitement and user-generated content around our new product launch. Priority = TikTok unboxings and duets.”

Tone of Voice

Your brand’s tone sets the mood. Is it playful and casual? Slick and stylish? Educational and expert? Provide a few adjectives and examples to ground creators in your brand’s personality.

Example: “Think Trader Joe’s meets meme culture—fun, curious, and slightly self-aware. Avoid sounding corporate.”

Content Guidelines

What must be mentioned? What should be avoided? Are there compliance considerations, brand lines that can’t be crossed, or words you never want said? Be clear about content guidelines, not controlling.

Example: “Mention the limited-time offer. Avoid referencing specific competitor brands.”

Platform-Specific Direction

Tailor your expectations by channel. What works on TikTok might flop on YouTube. Give creators a sense of what’s expected for each format.

Platform-Specific Tips:

• TikTok: Quick reactions, trends, humor, UGC

• Instagram: Aesthetic visuals, carousel storytelling, branded feel

• YouTube: Product deep-dives, lifestyle vlogs, longer-form reviews

Hashtags, Mentions & Disclosures

Don’t leave this up to chance. Include the exact hashtags, mentions, and FTC disclosures you need for legal and brand consistency.

Example: “Tag @brandname and use #CampaignTag. Include ‘Paid partnership with @brandname’ at the beginning of your caption.”

Examples for Inspiration

Show creators what “great” looks like. Include past content that performed well, visual mockups, or links to trend references that align with your vision.

Bonus Tip: A 3–5 piece moodboard or content library link goes a long way.

Deliverables & Deadlines

Be specific: how many posts, what formats, and when they’re due. Include final due dates, go-live dates, and review timelines if applicable.

Example: “Submit all draft content via platform by June 10. Final Reel to go live by June 14, and Story set with swipe-up by June 16.”

Why Use a Creative Brief Template?

If you’ve ever launched a campaign with five creators or 50, you already know how quickly things get messy without structure. A creative brief template isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s your playbook for repeatable success.

Here’s why the best creative teams and influencer agencies rely on templates:

Consistency

A standardized brief keeps your brand voice, tone, and key messages consistent across creators and platforms.

Clarity

Templates remove guesswork. Everyone knows exactly what’s expected—from core objectives to compliance tags.

Efficiency

Don’t reinvent the wheel every time. A strong template gives you a ready-made framework to tweak and reuse.

Scalability

Whether you're working with five or 500 creators, a creative brief template helps your team stay organized and aligned.

• Bottom line: A good brief makes one campaign great. A reusable template makes every campaign better.
  

Industry Examples of Great Creative Brief Templates

While McDonald’s may have mastered the playful product drop, great creative briefs aren’t just for fast food. Top brands across industries use them to scale influence, shape brand perception, and guide creators toward content that converts.

Here’s how different sectors approach briefing—and what you can borrow from each.

Fashion: ASOS’s Trend-Led TikTok Hauls

What they do well: Seasonal briefs prioritize vibe-first direction, visual cues, and trending sounds.

Takeaway: Fashion briefs should guide with moodboards and styling cues but leave room for creative expression.

Tech: Samsung’s Story-First Product Demos

What they do well: Instead of specs, briefs prompt creators to showcase real-world use cases.

Takeaway: Highlight how the product fits into everyday life, not just what it does.

Food: Betty Crocker’s Bake-Along Campaigns

What they do well: Encourages imperfection, fun, and behind-the-scenes content over polish.

Takeaway: Focus on process, not perfection. Let creators show the experience, not just the end result.

These brands prove that a strong creative brief doesn’t limit creativity—it gives it structure. And when that structure is tailored to your audience, your content doesn’t just land, it connects.

Final Takeaway: Creative Freedom Needs Clear Direction

The best influencer campaigns don’t go viral by accident. They succeed because the right people were given the right direction—and the space to make it their own.

That’s the power of a well-crafted creative brief. It gives your campaign a core emotion, a repeatable structure, and a clear throughline, so every creator, post, and platform contributes to something bigger.

Whether you're launching a hype drop like McDonald’s, a beauty product, or a seasonal brand moment, a creative brief template is your not-so-secret weapon. It keeps things aligned without feeling restrictive, and it saves your team hours with every campaign you run.

Want to take your next campaign from rigid to results-driven?
Try building your own creative brief template—or explore how Influencity helps you organize, scale, and manage campaigns that feel cohesive from the first draft to the final post.