Why is this work relevant for Entertainment?

By capturing people’s conversation in McCafé, COFFEE TALK is McDonald’s first attempt mini-series. It contains 4 episodes in total and is available on KKTV the streaming platform. The mini-series is directed by the movie director and professional celebrity performers, it contains trailers, behind the scene and director interview video.

Background

With an annual market exceeding NT$70 billion (US$23 billion), Taiwan has been put on the map as a major coffee-consuming country especially in roasted coffee. But the coffee market in Taiwan is still dominated by nice Café and convenience stores selling roasted coffee. Besides, Taiwanese people don’t perceive McCafé as a coffee brand, they only see it as a side drink that comes with the meal (like coke). To increase market share, McDonald’s need to build up an iconic brand image for McCafé.

Describe the creative idea

Turn McCafé into a real coffee shop. Make consumer walk-in McCafé with the coffee mood rather than a meal mood. We created a mini-series, “Coffee Talk”, depicting McCafé stories. Story focuses on a writer and a barista. They chat about the conversations that they overhear in McCafé. An encounter between a man and woman, an unresolved family issue, and a missed opportunity for true love. With each conversation over coffee at McCafé, One cup of coffee brings forth endless stories and relationships between people.

Describe the strategy

When consumers step into McDonald’s, they are in the mood for food, not for coffee. Strengthening the image of McCafé as a coffee brand can help change the perception. We utilize restaurant’s environment and things people will do in coffee shops to make this happens.

Describe the execution

We found out when people meet up for coffee, they usually have something to talk about, so we create a mini-series – COFFEE TALK. Each episode unfolds a story happened in McCafé, a coffee shop that was perceived as a restaurant instead of a cafe in the past. This mini-series premiered on KKTV, one of the largest online streaming platforms in Taiwan, and was performed by movie director and a line-up, attracting many movie fans to watch. With the power of words of mouth, people get to know McCafé is a real coffee brand.

Describe the outcome

The series ranked No. 1 in Taiwanese drama when it first aired on KKTV. Viewers started discussing the McCafé stories. Even film critics and various media outlets joined in the discussion. McCafé successfully created buzz. Even on Google Maps, we started popping up as cafés. Now when people search for “coffee shops”, McCafé pop ups and is one of the options. This has massively helped the brand increase its share of mind. Our campaign created 2.6M USD worth of free press coverage reaching a 15% growth in the number of cups sold compared to last year. For Taiwanese people, McCafé is no longer drinks that come with a meal, McCafé is now the coffee shop just around the corner.