mcdonald's converts its billboards into beehive hotels

back in may, mcdonald’s sweden celebrated world bee day by building the ‘world’s smallest mcdonald’s’ — a mini replica of its’ golden arches that doubles up as a beehive. its latest initiative goes one step further, considering that bees might appreciate somewhere to stay after chowing down on fast food, converting mcdonald’s billboards into tiny ‘bee hotels.’

images courtesy of mcdonald’s sweden

NORD DBB, the creative agency behind mcdonald’s bee-focused amenities, has also managed a collaboration between the franchise and advertising giant JCDecaux, turning the back of its billboards into tiny ‘bee hotels.’ the boards are permanent wood installations with drilled holes for the insects to enter.

‘without pollination from bees, 1/3 of the food we eat would be threatened,’ a description of the project explains. ‘it is estimated that 30% of sweden’s wild bees are threatened. a big problem is that they lack places to live. therefore, some of mcdonald’s restaurants have started producing billboards that double as bee hotels.’

all mcdonald’s franchisees across sweden have the opportunity to order their own bee hotel boards and customize the messaging. some restaurants have also opened their own ‘bee hotels’ by installing permanent wood installations with drilled holes in the copy (‘always open’) where wild bees and other insects can make themselves comfortable.

some of the first hotels can be found in järfälla outside stockholm, where six have been installed on the rear of a north-facing billboard. it follows other environmental innovations from the fast-food chain and nord ddb including golden arches signs that double as signposts for electric car charging.

company: mcdonald’s

location: sweden

creative agency: NORD DBB

media agency: OMD

partners: JCDecaux