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How Aussies Do It Down Under
The 72-year-old global franchise officially known as McDonald’s has been given all sorts of nicknames over the decades. From “The Golden Arches” and “Makku” to “The Big M,” “Ronnie Mac’s Steakhouse,” “McD’s,” and “Mickey D’s,” people across the globe have taken creative liberties. But until recently, McDonald’s itself had never officially embraced a local nickname on its signage.
What makes this moment unique is that, despite being famously protective of its brand and trademarks, often sending legal teams after any perceived infringement, the fast-food giant temporarily let its guard down. For a short time, McDonald’s Australia was allowed to rebrand a handful of stores using a beloved local term: Macca’s.
For the uninitiated, Aussie slang isn’t exactly textbook English. Some would even call it a dialect of its own. Australians have a habit of shortening words and giving them a local twist, maybe out of laziness, maybe out of charm, or maybe just because we can. David becomes Davo, breakfast is brekkie, and a service station becomes a servo. We do it for nearly everything. It's not so much slang as it is just the Aussie way of speaking.
So, from January 8th through February 4th, in celebration of Australia Day, 13 selected McDonald’s locations officially rebranded to “Macca’s.” This wasn’t just a sticker-on-the-window stunt. The campaign involved updated signage, menus, digital ads, and a whole suite of external media, none of which comes cheap.
“We’ve been a part of Australia for over 40 years now and we’re incredibly proud to embrace our ‘Australian-only’ nickname. What better way to show Aussies how proud we are to be part of the community than by changing our store signs to the name the community has given us?”
Given the cost of such a short-term rebrand, it’s worth asking why not just pump more energy into promoting the McOz burger, which already nods to local pride and sits on the regular menu? After all, “Macca’s” has featured in Aussie ad campaigns for years, usually in voiceovers and casual scripts. And yet, despite the campaign’s boldness, many Aussies didn’t even notice it was happening. When I asked around, responses were generally positive, but also along the lines of, “Wait, that’s happening?”
So, why bother? Well, according to an AFP report at the time, internal research showed that over 55% of Australians already refer to McDonald’s as Macca’s. That kind of native brand recognition is marketing gold. And what better time to lean into it than during Australia Day celebrations?
Whether the campaign was a long-term win or just a blip, one thing’s certain: it got people talking. And sometimes, that’s all you need for short-term brand impact.
Originally published in the Brand Coffee Biweekly Newsletter, DMID, 2013. Lightly refreshed for 2025 relevance.