McDonald’s investigates hamburger button’s origin

The three-lined digital navigation button typically found in the upper corners of a webpage, known as the hamburger button because it resembles a patty between two buns, may be a Big Mac, according to a recent investigation by McDonald’s Finland.

To get to the truth, McDonald’s created a 20-minute mockumentary styled after a conspiracy theory investigation. The video, titled The Icon, sees a man named Kaitsu pouring over data in dimly lit offices and connecting pictures of burgers with red string before interviewing Norm Cox, the designer of the hamburger button, in Dallas, Texas.

To extend the campaign beyond YouTube, McDonald’s Finland is giving free Big Macs to people who find the hamburger button on websites and submit it in the McDonald’s app. 

Kaitsu also has his own TikTok and Instagram accounts where he will post findings relevant to the investigation.

Nord DDB created the campaign with McDonald’s.