McDonald’s is the 9th fastest-growing brand

McDonald’s is the 9th fastest-growing brand in search, with an absolute increase of 244,000 searches (+5.3%). The entire growth of the fast-food segment is driven by the McDonald’s brand, at the expense of KFC and Burger King, which both saw a decline.

Interestingly, the second fastest-growing search term for McDonald’s is “McDonald photos,” which grew by 20,860 (+1458%). Queries like “McDonald’s photos” are driven more by image intent than by standard informational intent, as people want a quick look at the food, new limited-time offers, collectibles, or new/renovated locations.

McDonald’s connects with pop culture

As part of its global strategy, the McDonald’s brand aligns itself with pop-culture phenomena to engage its target audience. Last year, it launched strong collaborations with Minecraft and Stranger Things. Long-term expansion and the opening of new branches remain a key distribution strategy, which, for a brand celebrating 30 years, has become more of a rule than an exception. Consequently, we see terms related to the Stranger Things series among the fastest-growing brand keywords. In the fall of 2025, McDonald’s introduced a special menu edition inspired by Netflix’s Stranger Things.

Expert opinion from Jakub Straka (Strategy Director)

McDonald’s is an interesting case precisely because its growth is not driven by a local creative strategy. For example, the Stranger Things menu didn’t even reach Slovakia last year, yet people searched for it anyway. This is perhaps the most compelling proof of what global pop-culture relevance can do for a brand: it generates demand and interest by strategically selecting events and occasions that resonate with target audiences worldwide.

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