MCDONALD´S ORIGINS

Short List
TitleMCDONALD´S ORIGINS
BrandMCDONALDS
Product/ServiceMCDONALDS
Category B05. Use of Ambient Media: Large Scale
Entrant PS21 Madrid, SPAIN
Idea Creation PS21 Madrid, SPAIN
Idea Creation 2 TRUE Madrid, SPAIN
PR TRUE Madrid, SPAIN
Production TRUE Madrid, SPAIN
Credits
Name Company Position
Patricia Medeiros PS21 Head of art
José Arroyo PS21 creative
Rubén Sánchez PS21 creative director

Why is this work relevant for Media?

In Spain, many consumers are still wary of most fast food chains, as they are unaware of the origin of their ingredients. McDonald's, however, stands out in the industry for its commitment to local production and quality ingredients, so it set out to combat this perception by using one of its most recognizable assets: its famous golden arches logo. For the first time in its 80-year history, the totem poles that normally mark the location of its restaurants now signaled something even more important to the brand in this context: the origin of the food served in them.

Background

To speak of Spain is to speak of a strong gastronomic tradition, which covers its entire territory, representing the passage of different cultures, periods, landscapes and climates. The production of raw materials and their processing is so important that agricultural production and the gastronomic sector represent 33% of the country's Gross Domestic Product. In this context, McDonald's, one of the first fast food brands to land in the country 40 years ago, has not yet managed to free itself from the cliché of being "fast food of dubious origin" or "of very poor quality" as a multitude of tweets and user reviews reflect every day. However, McDonald's can state with full transparency that more than 70% of its ingredients come from local Spanish producers and that, therefore, what they serve in their restaurants has the quality of food from any Spanish home.

Describe the creative idea / insights (30% of vote)

The pandemic has accelerated important changes in the shopping behaviors of many Spaniards. Consumption of food outside the home has been drastically reduced, while the consumer has reconnected with cooking and has begun to care more about the origin of what they eat. As a consequence, a company like McDonald's has had a complicated year in terms of business and has had to place special emphasis on differentiating itself from its competitors by positioning the brand around quality, respecting sustainability and supporting local producers.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

The objective was to cover a triple audience. On the one hand the consumers, to try to change their perception and also to gain new ones beyond the urban areas. On the other hand, suppliers, strengthening our relationship with them, and finally all franchisees, as a link between the first two groups and direct beneficiaries of the credibility of our products. The media planning approach was based on a direct negotiation with the most relevant owners and suppliers, both in terms of business volume and location visibility, in order to install the totems in a lasting way and that this can become a long-term action of the brand, which, like its commitment to quality, sustainability and local economy, lasts over time.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

Instead of a conventional outdoor campaign, we decided to use our giant totems to signpost orchards, fields and farms throughout Spain to proudly show where McDonald's ingredients come from and support local suppliers. To date, totems have already been installed in the regions of Soria, Lugo, Murcia and soon in Asturias. The campaign has gone from being a one-off action by the brand to become the core of its public relations strategy for 2022. On the other hand, we traveled to these locations to immortalize our suppliers and develop a graphic press campaign showing the actual coordinates, the products which are obtained there and their workers in action. All with the same commitment to transparency and naturalness: with photographs taken first thing in the morning and without any retouching.

List the results (30% of vote)

With zero media budget, this campaign was covered by over 100 national media outlets (including press, radio and television), generated a cumulative audience of more than 170M, an earned media value of 2M€, and multiplied the investment by 40. But in addition to generating awareness and earned media, it achieved something even more important: to go from hundreds of negative daily comments about the origin and quality of McDonalds food to comments with a positive brand sentiment of 98%.