No Logo, No Problem

Why McDonald’s just removed its branding—and what you can learn from it

Author

Jack Willoughby
May 14, 2025

🧠 The Thought

When people know your brand by colour, shape, or smell—you’ve already won.
You don’t need a logo when you’ve built codes that people feel.

💬 Quote

❝

A great brand is a promise remembered.

If you have to say your name, you're not famous enough.

📊 Stat Drop

86% of consumers’ buying choices are shaped by emotional needs, not logic.

Colour increases brand recognition by up to 80%

🎯 Tactic — Build Brand Codes, Not Just Assets

Stop relying on logos. Build a system of recognisable signals that do the talking for you. Think:

  1. Colour – What hue owns the emotion you sell?

  2. Sound – Can you be recognised in 2 notes or 4 words?

  3. Shape – What packaging or symbol can be seen at 20 feet?

  4. Scent/Feel – If physical, how can touch/smell reinforce memory?

Example: Coca-Cola = red. McDonald’s = fries + yellow. Nike = swoosh silhouette.

🧰 Framework — Brand Code Checklist

Signal

Example

Can You Own It?

Colour

Tiffany Blue

✅ / ❌

Font

Netflix Bold

✅ / ❌

Sound

Netflix "ta-dum"

✅ / ❌

Shape

Toblerone box silhouette

✅ / ❌

Object

McDonald's fries sleeve

✅ / ❌

Circle the ones you can claim. Reinforce them in every single touchpoint.

🎥 Campaign Breakdown — McDonald’s “Unbranded” Ads (UK, 2025)

McDonalds - Unbranded Ads

You can taste this!

And this…and smell it.

What happened?

  • Visuals: Plain red backgrounds, yellow fries, Close-up shots. No logos. No product names.

  • Placement: National billboards, TV spots, and in-app previews.

  • Message: “You already know who we are.”

Why it worked:

  1. Confidence = Magnetism: The restraint made people lean in.

  2. Brand Code Mastery: They’ve earned the right to whisper.

  3. Social Shareability: Audiences posted the billboards without prompting—free virality.

Steal this: Double down on 2–3 sensory signals that become yours. Repetition builds ownership.

📌 Task of the Day

  1. Identify your top 2 brand codes.

  2. Create a piece of content or mock ad that uses them—but doesn’t say your brand name.

  3. Post it. Ask: “Without saying who we are, would you know it’s us?”

➡️ Next Up

Next Week: The Authority Layer—how to stack proof, power, and positioning like a top-tier category leader.

Questions? Hit reply—I read every one.
— Jack Willoughby, Brand Building Mentor