McDonald’s dropped Leo Burnett in the US last August after more than thirty years and consolidated all of its work with Omnicom, following a pitch that also involved WPP until May, when the latter holding company dropped out.

In November, Omincom launched a McDonald’s agency, We Are Unlimited, run by Brian Nienhaus, a former project manager at BBDO New York, who reports to DDB North America chief executive officer, Wendy Clark. Clark led the winning pitch. John Hansa, who ran the McDonald’s account at Leo Burnett Chicago, is the agency’s executive creative director and creative lead.

We Are Unlimited released its first work for McDonald’s in January this year, a rap music video called There’s a Big Mac For That.

In Australia, while DDB had been McDonald’s main creative agency (since 2007), Leo Burnett had been working on the retail component of McDonald’s business for 12 years and the McCafe and Family accounts since 2012. Now it isn’t.

Goodoil & DDB Sydney: Be surprised by what makes McDonald’s great

McDonald’s has consolidated all of its work with DDB Sydney. WPP agency, VML Sydney, has retained McDonald’s social media and digital content business. McDonald’s recently moved its PR account to TBWA agency, Eleven, from DDB’s Mango.

DDB also runs McDonald’s creative in New Zealand and launched a new brand campaign there at the end of February, highlighting the emotional connection between McDonald’s and Kiwis and using insight from recent consumer brand research.

Shane Bradnick, executive creative director of DDB NZ, commented, “When we look at McDonald’s ads that have stood the test of time, they’re stories that’ve captured a human truth that everybody can relate to. I think we can all remember those annoying long car rides on the back seat, and we can also all remember being treated to something special at the drive-through.”