You know that one Facebook group you joined in 2012 that fizzled after a few posts? McDonald’s just turned one of those into a national holiday.
In the UK, the brand and agency Leo Burnett rediscovered “The Filet-O-Fish Facebook Society of 2012” — a group with just six fans and a lot of heart. Instead of scrapping it for something slick, McDonald’s leaned into the weird, the nostalgic, and the oddly specific.
They brought back Phil A. O’ Fish, a mascot retired since the ’70s, and flooded billboards with throwback Facebook visuals. Fans posted memes, poems, and hacks inside the group. One even brought a Filet-O-Fish flag to Glastonbury.
Then came the payoff: July 1 became National Filet-O-Fish Day, complete with a one-day-only Double Filet for £2 — the same price it was when the group started.
It’s a reminder that some of the richest brand stories aren’t manufactured — they’re already sitting in a dusty corner of the internet, waiting to be heard.
