McDonald's is building a $1 billion advertising business

Testing of the network began in August at 450 corporate-run restaurants in the US. Flatley added that franchised locations will also be able to use the new advertising tool. The company did not immediately respond to a request for further details.

A slice of the advertising pie

McDonald's is becoming a new player in the commerce media market and will face stiff competition for advertising budgets. According to Emarketer's forecast, commerce media spending in the US will reach $84 billion this year. Notably, Amazon and Walmart, according to analysts, will capture 89% of the year's spending growth.

McDonald's belongs to the growing category of "non-retail" commerce media players — alongside financial and travel companies such as JPMorgan Chase, Citi, Uber, and PayPal. Like retailers, they sell the vast troves of data they have accumulated for targeting specific consumer groups.

A $1 billion goal would put the chain among the largest players after Walmart and Amazon. Target's advertising unit Roundel earned $915 million last year, and Macy's earned $188 million. Uber's advertising revenue exceeded $2 billion in 2025.

Independent retail media analyst Andrew Lipsman called $1 billion a "credible opportunity" for McDonald's thanks to the scale of its physical network.

"McDonald's has an enormous in-store network of 14,000 locations — more than almost any US retailer," he noted. "The chain also drives huge foot traffic and drive-thru volume, so the scale is attractive to national advertisers."

McDonald's also already has established commercial partnerships to build advertising revenue on — in particular with Netflix and Disney.

"I'm not overly optimistic about many commerce media networks, but McDonald's is one of the ones I think will work," Lipsman concluded.