McDonald's Sweden Lets Kids Send Happy Meals to Their Grandparents During Covid

Social isolation among senior citizens was an epidemic even before coronavirus arrived. This is true not just for those living alone, but for couples as well—for whom regular visits with grandchildren often comprise a sizable chunk of their engagement with others.

With Covid-19 threatening their health in particular, the situation has only worsened.

McDonald’s in Sweden addresses this in a charming way with Happy Meal Senior, an initiative that turns the traditional Happy Meal on its head. Many grandparents buy their grandkids Happy Meals as part of their routine with them. The Happy Meal Senior program, meanwhile, involves the reverse—kids and their parents buy Happy Meals for the grandparents, and have them delivered, packaged with drawings from the kids, which is way better than a random toy anyway.

Here’s a glimpse of how it works:

“We wanted to let the kids surprise their grandparents with what they themselves love most, along with a surprise that we know the grandparents appreciate,” says Sofie Lager, senior marketing manager at McDonald’s Sweden. “We hope the initiative has made the lives of the grandparents a little more enjoyable.”

The initiative was developed by Nord DDB.