Why is this work relevant for PR?

Though McDonald's is a global brand, it prides itself as being a brand that's decidedly local. And as the brand geared up to celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2019, this particular project was a public relations exercise that exemplified the fact that the brand has woven itself into the cultural fabric of the country.

Background

Ramadan has always been especially challenging for McDonald's because the holy fasting month is a practice of self-restraint, where ‘indulgence’ is pretty much taboo. Thus, our usual tactics of food romance won’t cut it. Furthermore, Muslims make up a significant portion of our halal-certified business, so when they fast every day for the entire month, its effects on our bottom-line can be felt substantially. In fact, we face a decline every year when it comes to Ramadan. In 2017, there was a 2% decline in sales during Ramadan as compared to the period right before Ramadan. Ramadan 2018’s objectives were thus benchmarked against Ramadan 2017 business results with a focus on driving McDelivery orders. 1. Increased transactions on McDelivery site and app 2. Increased revenue via McDelivery website 3. 5% increase in sales vs 2017. 4. 30% increase in Return on Ad spend.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

We created a television spot that brings us up close and personal in the everyday life of an iconic character – the McDonald’s McDelivery Rider. The campaign video featured a busy Muslim McDelivery rider going about his working day with no airs or complaints despite it being the demanding fasting month. The camera follows him as he makes deliveries, overcomes difficulties and even helps a man whose car has broken down. We see his dedication, his struggles and his perseverance as he rises to the call of duty and his faith. As he fulfils one of his final deliveries to a non-Muslim family around the breaking of fast time, something truly special happens. We witness the touch of humanity and goodness – brother to brother as the non-Muslim man thoughtfully offers to share the Happy Sharing Box with him. A simple gesture becomes a powerful symbol of religious harmony.

Describe the strategy (30% of vote)

We knew the film would take a life of its own, and any prior PR of the actual spot would have come across as insincere, especially in a month that celebrates humility. Once the film was picked up, media interviews were granted with a consistent message of it being a celebration Singapore’s community spirit of human kindness, sharing and togetherness. In essence, a conscious effort was made to direct the narrative to talk about it being, above all, a human story. This made the film relatable to not just Muslims, but everyone around the world.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

We launched this campaign with a 30s cut of the TV commercial on TV, and the full length online. Full length version of the spot also ran during prime time in the later part of the month, once traction was picked up. Radio ads in both English and Malay maximised Mental Availability during targeted dayparts and celebrated big and small family bonding moments with a call to make the sharing better with an order from McDonald’s. Digital and social ads featured subtle Ramadan visual cues but with religion-agnostic ‘family bonding’ messages to maximise appeal beyond any one race. Once the campaign spread organically, media interviews were made in national newspapers, as well as online publications to reinforce McDonald’s understanding of Singapore’s local culture, especially in a culturally-sensitive month like Ramadan. This reinforced the brand’s objective of being seen as not just the big global brand of McDonalds—but Singapore’s McDonald’s.

List the results (30% of vote) – must include at least two of the following tiers:

In less than a week, the full-length commercial garnered more than a million views. Beyond just bring the talk of the town, our campaign also gained extensive coverage in international media. People all over the world were applauding and celebrating McDonald’s bold claim on racial and religious diversity and the demonstration of true consumer understanding. The campaign earned a total of 11.7 million impressions, with 15,600 engagements on social media, and $179,000 in total local PR value alone. McDonald’s is after all, a sales-driven business. Every piece of work we put out, we expect it to translate to actual customer action (i.e. sales). While our KPI was to have a 5% increase in sales vs 2017’s Ramadan period, we exceeded the KPI by more than two times, with a 11.5% increase in sales. Despite media spend being relatively lower in comparison to other campaigns, we actually achieved a 48% increase in Return on Ad Spend, beating the 30% target easily. Much of it can be attributed to the organic amplification of the work.

Please tell us about the social behaviour and/or cultural insights that inspired your campaign

Unlike Christmas, Ramadan is typically quite a closed-community event, celebrated only amongst Muslims. While generally empathetic towards the difficulties Muslims face during this holy fasting month, the rest of the country struggle to find a way to connect with the season in a meaningful way. With the Happy Sharing Box launching on our delivery platforms, a simple thought arose – sharing is one of the most genuine acts of care and giving, and it definitely does not discriminate. Thus, the idea was to promote this Happy Sharing Box as a suitable vehicle of sharing amongst and between everyone during Ramadan. Singaporeans Muslims are a busy lot, especially during Ramadan. So, when it comes to breaking fast, it’s a really a nice gesture when someone shares their food. Especially when that someone is a non-Muslim, it becomes a ‘wow’ moment of grace, gratitude and sharing.