Observed Signal · Nov 3, 2026 · Campaign Launch · Source: DWDL · Impact: 1/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
McDonald's rides retro wave in German TV ads
McDonald's Germany has launched a new nostalgic ad campaign titled "Endlich wieder bei Mecces" to win over consumers after removing the McRib from its regular menu. The TV spots feature old music, clips from vintage commercials, and the old logo. According to All Eyes On Screens (AEOS), McDonald's increased its TV presence and ranked 6th among the most reached brands, with over 2,000 airings in the past week. The campaign heavily targeted smaller channels, including children's networks like Super RTL and Nickelodeon, as well as Comedy Central, TLC, and Dluxe Music. Most reach was generated on RTL, Vox, ProSieben, and Sat.1, while public broadcasters were excluded. Separately, Vinted reclaimed the top spot in the brand ranking, followed by Kaufland and Ferrero's Kinder. August Storck launched its largest TV campaign of the year for Merci, and Bett1 also saw its strongest week in 2026.
A single brand's TV advertising campaign ranking is minor industry news, providing some insight into TV ad trends in Germany but not a major shift.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- McDonald's launched a new nostalgic TV campaign 'Endlich wieder bei Mecces' in Germany.
- The campaign ranked 6th in the AEOS brand ranking with over 2,000 TV spot airings in one week.
- Ads were heavily placed on children's channels Super RTL and Nickelodeon, each receiving about 10% of airings.
- Vinted, Kaufland, and Kinder (Ferrero) topped the AEOS TV brand ranking for the week.
- August Storck launched its biggest TV campaign of 2026 for the Merci brand.
Connected Companies & Entities
4 Entities mapped“McDonald's launched the nostalgic TV campaign 'Endlich wieder bei Mecces' in Germany.”
“AEOS provided the TV advertising data and ranking for the article.”
“Vinted reclaimed the top spot in the AEOS brand ranking.”
“Kaufland was ranked second in the AEOS brand ranking.”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
Related Market Signals & Shifts
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Viel hilft viel: McDonald's flutet die Werbeblöcke - DWDL.de
According to All Eyes On Screens data, McDonald's became the most visible brand in German TV advertising during the week of August 31 to September 6, 2026, airing a record 3,305 spots and achieving a gross reach of 956 XRP, ranking first. The fast-food chain's strategy favored smaller niche channels, including Comedy Central (11.9% of spots), Nick (8.7%), Sport1 (8.1%), and TLC (7.8%), before reaching larger broadcasters like ProSieben (7.8%). In contrast, Zalando aired 579 spots on larger channels from Ad Alliance and Seven.One Media, including RTL during DFB-Pokal coverage, achieving 474 XRP and ranking sixth. Amazon and Kaufland followed with 773 and 702 XRP, respectively, while Vinted dropped to fourth. Burger King also entered the top 25 with 842 spots, primarily on MTV, RTL, and Comedy Central.
McDonald's Boosts TV Ads with Stranger Things and Football
McDonald's substantially increased its TV advertising in Germany over the referenced seven‑day period, airing 1,609 spots (up ~300 vs. prior week) and achieving a gross reach of 464 XRP, placing it sixth in All Eyes on Screens' weekly advertiser ranking. One creative ran 281 times using a 'Stranger Things – Tales from 85' aesthetic tied to Happy Meal toys, while the largest share of McDonald’s airings were football‑themed spots promoting items including a 'Deutschlandburger' (without naming the upcoming World Cup). Discount supermarket Netto led the weekly ranking with ~1,000 spots and 583 XRP; Rewe and Kaufland placed second and third. The article cites All Eyes on Screens methodology, which measures cumulative XRP (Exact Rating Points) across Vodafone households.
Young Viewers Tune Into ZDF's McDonald's Episode
On 28 July 2026 ZDF’s 45-minute episode besseresser: Die Tricks von McDonalds drew strong interest from younger viewers, reaching 0.39 million 14–49-year-olds (16.4% market share) and 1.66 million viewers overall (9.4%). The follow-up, frontal: Gold. Macht. Gier., benefited from carryover, posting 0.30 million in the 14–49 demo (12.2%) and 1.26 million total (7.2%). MEEDIA’s Video Daily reported ZDF led the 14–49 demo that Tuesday and summarized linear-TV top numbers (e.g., the 20:00 Tagesschau on Das Erste with 3.72 million / 21.5%). MEEDIA also published daily streaming charts (Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+) and German YouTube rankings compiled with agency Active Value. Audience figures are based on AGF Videoforschung (AGF SCOPE 1.15); reports were published 29 July 2026 by MEEDIA and DWDL.de.
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