Cannes Lions

How a small town fell in love with their McDo

TBWA\BELGIUM, Brussels / MCDONALD'S / 2016

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Overview

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Credits

OVERVIEW

Description

We found out that a group of 5 youngsters from Mol posted a parody of the song “I’m in love with Coco” by O.T. Genasis. Their song, “I’m in love with the McDo” was a real local YouTube phenomenon. At that moment, it already counted 175.000 likes on YouTube.

Ironically, their clip was shot at a McDonald’s 15 km away from Mol. Because there wasn’t one at their hometown, at the time.

We decided to turn these 5 youngsters into brand ambassadors, using their song. We thought it was a great way to prove that McDonald’s is a brand that listens to its clients, even in a really small town. It showed how involved we are in the local community.

Execution

The campaign ran from the 4th to the 25th of August 2015.

–For the outdoor campaign we used 2m² and 20m² billboards. The local heroes struck a pose in their bling-bling outfit while showing their favorite McDonald’s product.

–A leaflet about the opening, with a message from our ambassadors was distributed in the wider area in the first week.

–Through Facebook, we called on people to take a picture while posing next to one of our posters. The incentive was the chance to win an exclusive invitation for the VIP opening* – one day before the restaurant opened to the public.

* A VIP opening where our ambassadors performed “I’m in love with the McDo” live on stage, of course.

Outcome

The people of Mol fell in love with the new McDonald’s restaurant. With only 35.000 inhabitants:

–3.600 became Facebook fans of the local page

–300 were VIP guests at the grand opening

–The video on YouTube counted 210.000 views

The brand gained a lot of free publicity and sympathy in social media and in local and national newspapers.

Moreover, the campaign gave our ambassadors a real career boost. They were touring all over the region during the summer.

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