We collaborated with an Indonesian singer and content creator Icha Zahara to create a camouflaged jingle. People ended up immersing themselves in an undercover McDonald's ad, without even realizing it. The catchy song, "Nihon no Fureebaa," solely in Japanese, depicted our 'Taste of Japan' menu.

Strategically releasing the track on YouTube, Spotify, and Radio platforms, building excitement and anticipation among the audience for a song release after a long time. The J-Pop single got famous and when we revealed that it was a McDonald's jingle, the fans laughed along with us. A product jingle then became an internet sensation.

McDonald’s faced strong brand competition from KFC, which gained spontaneous awareness and became top-of-mind in Q1 2022. To stay ahead, McDonald's had to be perceived as an 'innovative brand' with exciting flavors to maintain its lead against KFC in QSR brand visits (87 McD vs. 79 KFC).

Every year, McDonald's 'Taste of Japan' menu offers local flavors with a unique twist.

With its previous appearances, the menu had already garnered significant attention, as people eagerly requested its return on social media. We had wider ambitions and wanted to attract newer Japanese enthusiasts beyond old loyalists to recruit new enthusiasts to our repertoire.

Marketing Objective:

- Increase Sales of 'Taste of Japan' (TOJ) menu edition vs previous launch

Business Objective :

- Induce trial across all 'Taste of Japan' (TOJ) menu to attract audience to buy

Communication Objective :

- Create engagement through intrigue and intercepting relevant interests of the audience

As we focused on widening our approach for the ‘Taste of Japan’ menu for this year, we aimed at recruiting fast food lovers who love experimenting and trying new things, especially when it comes to Japanese and fusion food. People that are fans of Japanese culture and want to experience aspects that resonate with them such as food, music, Cosplay, Anime and Manga. They want to not only explore but also feel a sense of belonging when they meet with other people who share their love for Japanese cultural elements too.

We wanted to capture the attention and love of everyone who fell on the spectrum of wanting to try innovative Japanese food – From the Weeaboo community, anime lovers to the dabblers

However, though Indonesia has a huge fascination with Japanese culture, from music, anime to fashion but the intriguing part is, not everyone understands it

But they love it anyway!

They wear T-shirts with Kanji, they listen to music without knowing its meaning and they love Anime characters despite not knowing what they say.

Collaborating with an Indonesian singer/content creator and launching the disguised Japanese pop ad on YouTube generated excitement and surprise. Offering something expected in an unexpected way resonated with the audience, strengthening the connection with the younger demographic and maintaining a competitive edge against rivals like KFC and BK. By capturing the target audience's attention, it solidified McDonald's position in the market as a brand that understands and caters to its audience's desires.

Marketing Objective:

+111% Sales impact

Business Objective :

- Increase 10% Trial

Communication Objective :

3M+ Views in a week (YouTube), 179 M+ Total Impressions

Shaazam #1 most searched song, Artist's #1 top Spotify. USD 900k+ earned media.

Hey, everyone!

Let’s buy Taste of Japan!

The one that you love is back

Full tummy, happy wallet

McDonald’s Taste of Japan

Such an unforgettable taste

Crunchy salad

Crispy nori

Bao-like Burger with a touch of Japanese

Is this a burger? Or an onigiri?

You’ll understand it once you taste it

Eventhough you don’t know what it means

I want you to know how good it is

Once it touches your tongue

You’ll go crazy for it

Sesame seeds on top of cloud-like bun

Tasty beef patty in between those soft layers

Taste of Japan

Taste of Japan

Such an unforgettable Taste of Japantaste

Soft bao bun,

Crispy nori

Yakiniku sauce and authentic taste

McDonald’s Taste of Japan

What a uniquely awesome flavor

Just open the app

The code is “TOTEMO OISHII”

Once again yes

“TOTEMO OISHII”

And you can choose the free menu.

Eventhough you don’t know what it means

I want you to know how good it is

Once it touches your tongue

You’ll go crazy for it

Eventhough you don’t know what it means

I want you to know how good it is

Once it touches your tongue

You’ll go crazy for it

Taste of Japan

For our McDonald's 'Taste of Japan', we wanted to capture the attention and love of everyone who fell on the spectrum of wanting to try innovative Japanese food – From the Weeaboo community, anime lovers to the dabblers.

The catchy song, "Nihon no Fureebaa," solely in Japanese, depicted our Taste of Japan' menu. People ended up immersing themselves in an undercover McDonald's ad, without even realizing it. People were making covers of the song, drawing anime of the Music Video and even dancing to it on social media. People loved the song without really knowing that it was actually a hard selling jingle for McDonald's 'Taste of Japan', once we revealed it. The campaign got a second life with reactions of awe and surprise.