FOOD WARS

TitleFOOD WARS
BrandMCDONALD'S
Product / ServiceNASI LEMAK BURGER
CategoryA06. Retail
EntrantDDB SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE
Idea Creation DDB SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE

Credits

Name Company Position
Chris Chiu DDB Singapore Group Chief Creative Officer
Thomas Yang DDB Singapore Deputy Executive Creative Director
Firrdaus Yusoff DDB Singapore Associate Creative Director
Qihao Shum DDB Singapore Associate Creative Director
Jasmine Tan DDB Singapore Senior Copywriter
Roger Tan DDB Singapore Senior Art Director
Melvin Kuek DDB Singapore Deputy CEO, DDB Group
Zach Wong DDB Singapore Group Account Director
Rachel Lim DDB Singapore Account Manager
Rachael Wong DDB Singapore Senior Account Executive
Vanessa Thomas DDB Singapore Producer
Amanda Tan DDB Singapore Producer
Feely Feely Production House

The Campaign

Everyone knows Pasta's from Italy. But what if Greece suddenly claimed it? That kinda happened between Singapore and Malaysia. Because for Singapore's 52nd birthday, McDonald's created a uniquely Singaporean burger inspired by a popular local dish: Nasi Lemak. One little thing we forgot to mention was that our neighbours Malaysia consider 'Nasi Lemak' to be their national dish. Google 'Malaysia national dish' and see for yourself. And since nothing stirs emotions like patriotism, we tapped into the Singapore and Malaysia's long-held food rivalry by declaring the 'Nasi Lemak' Burger as "Just for you, Singapore." In other words, we started a food 'fight'.

Execution

Our narrative was clear: Declare the 'Nasi Lemak' Burger as a product of Singapore, and make sure Malaysians know that. So we... Drove curiosity: We invited KOLs for an exclusive tasting event 3 days before launch to create intrigue. It sparked extensive 'earned media' coverage as the idea and the product proved to be delightful (and envied by Malaysians) Created desire: We did the most tantalizing 'food porn' on film and print that would make any Singaporean drool, and blasted it online, on streets, and in-store. Stirred patriotism: Since it was the lead up to the nation's birthday, we knew nationalistic pride was at an all-time high. So we created a spot that featured a soldier bringing home the burger to his loved ones. Created tension: We worked with media partners in SG and MY to troll each other and claim ownership of Nasi Lemak.

The campaign delivered the best-ever monthly and single-day burgers sales in McDonald's 40-year history in Singapore. It was such a phenomenal success that McDonald's actually uplifted the entire QSR category in Q3 2017! Consumers even had a petition via change.org to have Nasi Lemak Burger as a permanent item on the menu. Needless to say, the Nasi Lemak campaign more than adequately delivered on its KPIs: KPI 1 target: +2% Comparative Sales vs 2016 campaign. o Results: +6.3% in Comparative Sales against last year's sales. KPI 2 target: +2% Guest Count (footfall) growth. o Results: +4.3% Guest Count growth, 2.3% over target. KPI 3: 700,000 total social engagements and $1mil in PR value. • Results: 946,000 total social engagements (35% over the target) plus $2.1million in PR value (110% over the target). Plus around 130 pieces of coverage/food reviews and a reach of over 54 million people.

The Situation

The days of launching any product through traditional means are long gone. In order to stand above the crowd, a product launch should deliver an experience that not only captures the imagination of the country--but also the world. With the Nasi Lemak Burger from McDonald's, we gave consumers an experience that went above and beyond traditional touch points. With strategic PR, we sparked a food 'fight' between two countries, which turned into an all-out food 'war'. So beyond just print, or TV, this was a unique piece of activation with needed the help of PR for maximum amplification.

The Strategy

McDonald's core appeal is to youths, young adults and the working lunch-time crowd. In light of the national day period and the campaign's demanding sales targets, McDonald's needed to gain mass appeal including winning heartlanders, families and yuppies. In marketing terms, mass penetration. Or as Byron Sharp would say, 'Sell to everybody'. Being the world's greatest foodie nation and food critic, we had a Singaporean target audience that would be as critical about the product as they would its advertising and communication - online, on streets and in-store. So we had to capture what makes a Singaporean Singaporean. And nothing captures the spirit of Singapore better than having a neighbouring country lay siege to its food.