Two brands. Four agencies. One poutine that’s a breakout hit.
11/4/2025
Work
by
Cossette
McDonald’s Canada’s McPlayer campaign returns stronger than ever this year with a bold recipe and concept: a poutine topped with chicken, bacon and ranch sauce paired with an unprecedented brand collaboration.
For the first time, McDonald’s Canada has teamed up with RONA in a cross-marketing initiative orchestrated by Cossette and Sid Lee, two Quebec-based creative powerhouses.
In a hybrid universe where hockey meets home renovations, Samuel Montembeault, goalie for the Montreal Canadiens, shares the spotlight with Mike chez RONA, a beloved local personality. Together, they form a duo as unlikely as it is iconic, skillfully weaving Quebec-specific puns and cultural cues into the ads.
Every year, the McPlayer campaign inspires us to push the envelope further. The latest edition is a perfect example of creative collaboration—between brands as well as between agencies. The pairing of Sam and Mike allowed us to craft content that was both entertaining and anchored in Quebec culture.
Marc-André Vigneault, Creative Director at Cossette
From the very first discussions, we immediately felt a genuine desire to collaborate, and it all came together with a natural sense of collegiality. It's really exciting to be able to blend our two worlds, as we just did. It's rare in the industry to see two brands merge their worlds so seamlessly- and the result enriches both.
David Lambert, Creative Director at Sid Lee
This campaign demonstrates the full potential of truly integrated work between media and creative. Two brands, two media agencies, and two creative agencies—a bold combination that allowed distinct strategies to converge around one strong idea. Thanks to seamless collaboration between teams, we pushed the boundaries of creativity to deliver a campaign that’s cohesive, daring, and proudly homegrown.
Laurence Laperrière, Associate Vice President, Strategy at Cossette Media
By bringing together a well-liked québécois athlete and a beloved advertising character, we’re
celebrating icons that Quebecers can rally around. This edition of McPlayer beautifully reflects our brand’s ability to unite people.
Melissa Hains, Director of Field Marketing at McDonald’s Canada
It’s wonderful to see two strong brands join forces, each with its own objectives, to build something unique together.
Catherine Laporte, Chief Digital and Marketing Officer at RONA
Seen on TV, in signage, online and on social media, the campaign is the result of a seamless joint creative collaboration between two major Quebec brands, without the partnership ever feeling forced. Among the signature elements is the wrenchette, a promotional item that blends a wrench and a fork, designed to extend the concept from job sites to social feeds.
Credits
Client: McDonald’s Canada
Director of Field Marketing: Mélissa Hains
Marketing Director: Suzanne Grondin
Regional Marketing Supervisors: Noémie Duchesne, Catherine Chevrier
Client: RONA
Chief Digital and Marketing Officer: Catherine Laporte
Senior Director, Brand Marketing: Jacynthe Prince
Head of Brand Marketing, Advertising and Influencer Marketing: Myriam Bernier
Marketing Specialist, Brands and Advertising: Véronique Legault
Agency: Cossette
Executive Creative Directors: Anne-Claude Chénier, Alexandre Gadoua
Creative Director: Marc-André Vigneault
Creative Team: Marc-Antoine Vallée, Raphaël Côté
Creative Collaboration: Michel Compagna, François Hiron
Content Strategy: Jeremy Brisson Tessier, Farah Chaou
Content Creation: Kelly St-Pierre, Nicolas Shelehoff, Pierre-Antoine Brochu
Director, Business Lead: Natalie Azoulay
Account Services: Catherine Benda, Maria-Laura Laubenthal
Agency Production: Vicki Gagnon
Print and Digital Production: Septième
Translation and Linguistic Services: Septième
Agency: Sid Lee
Executive Creative Director: David Allard
Creative Director: David Lambert
Creative Team: Christian Jomphe, Simon Blaquière
Creative Collaboration: Quentin Fachon
Vice President, Account Services: Thalie Poulin
Account Director: Valérie Roy
Advisor: Gabrielle Crépeau-Hubert
Senior Strategy Director, Chief Strategist: Jean-Claude M. Kikongi
Strategist: Nicolas Dumitru
Content Manager: Amélie Duplessis-Tellier
Agency Production: Vanessa Gervais, Alexandra Michaud
Public Relations: Laetitia Harty, Émilie Perreault
PR Agency: Weber Shandwick
Social Media: Substance
Media Agency: Cossette Media
Associate Vice Présidente, Strategy: Laurence Laperrière
360 Media Supervisor: Marc-Antoine Lavallée
360 Media Planner: Anastasia Matuk
360 Assistant Media Planer: Christophe Remillard
Associate Director, Digital: Christophe Grimard
Senior Specialist, Display and Video: Rémi Turenne
Coordonnator, Display and Video: Doria Khouri
Social Platforms Manager: Joseph Ghanem
Digital Performance Coordinator: Valentina Rodriguez Bonilla
Group Director, Activation & Investment: Isabelle Fournier
OOH Buyers: Leslie Langlet, César Herbreteau, Paco Garcia
Media Agency: OMD
Vice-President, Strategy: Benjamin Ferreira
Group Director, Strategy: Maude Blanchet Simard
360 Media Strategist: Victoria Gagné
Assistant 360 Media Strategist: Julie-Anne Gauthier
Digital Platform Specialist: Philippe Brouillard
Digital Analyst: Phoebe DeValon
Production Company: Les Enfants
Director: Alec Pronovost
Executive Producer: Guillaume Arsenault
Associate Producer: Marie-Chun Rofekamp-Allaire
Director of Photography: Benoît Jones-Vallée
Art Direction: Éric Sénécal
Styling: Marie-Claude Guay
Offline Editing: Émil Baroon
Colour Grading: Post-Moderne (Steven Mercier)
Online Editing: Post-Moderne
Sound: Circonflex
Mathilde Langlois-Bettez and Craig Murdock