CANNES, FRANCE — Leo Burnett Manila’s multi-awarded and globally-lauded “Unbranded Menu” for McDonald’s once again takes the spotlight as it wins not just one but two much-coveted Lions from the 2023 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity – the definitive benchmark for creativity across the world.
The Silver Lion and Bronze Lion came from the Entertainment Lions for Gaming category – which debuted this year at Cannes to celebrate work that connects people to brands through gameplay.
In addition to the two Lions and two shortlists in the inaugural gaming category, “Unbranded Menu” was also shortlisted five more times in the Direct, Social & Influencer, and Brand Experience & Activation categories.
This momentous haul makes Leo Burnett the only Philippines agency to bring home Lions from this year’s Festival – never before has any single idea from the country gained this much recognition from Cannes Lions.
Successfully showcasing the ingenuity and passion of Filipino creativity, Unbranded Menu saw McDonald’s collaborating with the country’s biggest gaming influencers to rally the gaming community to screengrab virtual food from any game, brand them McDonald’s, and redeem corresponding McDelivery coupons IRL.
Raoul Panes, Chief Creative Officer of Leo Burnett Manila & Publicis Groupe Philippines, emphasized that the campaign stands as an excellent example of work that effectively champions brands and takes them closer to the ‘heart’ of what their target audiences hold most dear – something further validated by the campaign’s wins.
“Winning at Cannes is never an accident. ‘Unbranded Menu’ started with doodles and Zoom calls, and it evolved into this quirky, clever national activation as our brave clients immediately bought into it. We had a very passionate team working on this around the clock. That we won these Lions for the inaugural gaming category in Cannes makes them extra special. That the work also got recognized in multiple categories makes us even prouder for the agency, the brand, and the country,” he said.
Oliver Rabatan, Chief Marketing Officer for McDonald’s Philippines, also shared his support for this unprecedented collaborative achievement.
He said, “In McDonald’s parlance, this is a feel-good moment for us! Garnering the most recognition for our country at Cannes is historic. I am very proud of the McDonald’s team and our partners at Leo Burnett. We’ve always set our bar of excellence at global levels. ‘Unbranded Menu’ was an idea that was up there right from the moment we first saw it. Here we are – winners across multiple categories for an iconic brand in the iconic creative show. Indeed, with creativity embedded in the business, great campaigns can come from our corner of the world.”
Margot Torres, Managing Director of McDonald’s Philippines, is as thrilled with the recognition, having long been a believer in the power of creativity to drive not just brand love but propel business growth. “Throughout our digital acceleration journey, we’ve always put the customer at the center. When we do that, as we did with Unbranded Menu and the Gen Z customer, the brand wins, and the business wins. Our wins at Cannes Lions affirm this customer obsession,” Torres said.
The Cannes Lions haul is the latest addition to the local, regional, and global recognition that “Unbranded Menu” has received since the start of the awards season last February. These include key wins from Spikes Asia, AdFest, Clios, and D&AD.
View the winning work here.
