Situation

“Sakura,” also known as Japanese Cherry Blossoms, are a symbol for the start of spring. They bloom up from the south to the north, until the entire country becomes covered in pink. People rush outdoors to catch a glimpse before it’s too late - because the flowers only bloom for roughly one week.

Brief / Objectives

McDonald’s Teritama Burger. A beloved seasonal menu released every spring, perfect to enjoy under the blooming Sakura. The connection between Sakura and Teritama has existed for over 20 years, and the burger’s release has become as anticipated as the flower, and arrival of spring itself. But this year, because of COVID-19, people were not able to enjoy springtime outside. How could we get everyone to still enjoy Sakura, Teritama, and the arrival of spring during a global pandemic?

#SakuraRush powered by McDonald’s Teritama Burger

In order to get people excited about Teritama, we needed people to get excited about Sakura. Beginning of spring is the beginning of Teritama. We found that some people were finding ways to enjoy the coming of spring on Twitter. We turned this into a greater social movement where people can take part in celebrating spring from their homes, even with the pandemic.

People used to just passively wait and view the Sakura bloom, but this movement encouraged everyone to actively participate and engage with the arrival of spring in realtime.

Target audience

The people who couldn’t enjoy the arrival of spring due to the pandemic.

Media planning

McDonald’s delivered 47 dynamic creatives, one for each region, and encouraged everyone across Japan to Tweet out dozens of cherry blossom emojis across their timelines.

Approach

Using real-time weather information and geo-targeting, McDonald’s brought springtime to Twitter, through the platform’s first-ever “virtual blossoming event.”

McDonald’s delivered 47 dynamic creatives, one for each region, and encouraged everyone across Japan to Tweet cherry blossom emojis across their timelines, when the Sakura were blooming in their own city. The Teritama campaign became an instant sensation for everyone who wanted to celebrate springtime together while staying at home.

• Over 1.2 M emojis Tweeted.

• 291% Conversation nearly tripled year on year.

• Trended in Japan.

• 8.4% Increased sales across all stores.