(Updated) MANILA — In a style reminiscent of black-and-white Pinoy films from the 60s, the newest ad by McDonald’s Philippines and Leo Burnett Manila for McSaver Meals followed the adventures of ‘Prinsipe Cariñoso’ — on horseback, of course.
In the ad, ’Prinsipe Cariñoso’ went on a mission to find the mahiwagang batis presumably for his ailing king father. Unfortunately, a hungry giant, stood in his way. Playing on the classic Pinoy concept of “gutom lang ‘yan”, Prinsipe Cariñoso told the unbelieving giant that the solution to his hunger was McDonald’s McSaver Meals. What happened to the prince’s quest, the audience will never know, but what was important was that both characters found themselves at a McDonald’s restaurant, munching away at the McSaver Meal of their choice.
Príncipe Cariñoso was played by noontime show heartthrob and McDonald’s endorser mainstay Alden Richards, while the hungry giant was played by former Colegio de San Juan de Letran and PBA baller Mark Andaya.
According to Christina Lao, Marketing Director of McDonald’s Philippines, the brand wanted to stay top-of-mind for consumers looking for value for money rice-meals. “McDonald’s plays in a very competitive industry with brands constantly vying for consumers’ attention. Achieving top-of-mind recall for consumers became a clear objective for us because there is an overwhelming amount of messaging they are exposed to. In the midst of the cluttered media landscape, it was also important that the material would be exciting and engaging for the target market so that it would cut through and rise above all the other campaigns out there,” she said.
Raoul Panes, Chief Creative Officer of Leo Burnett Manila, agreed, saying, “out of sight, out of mind.” The creative team sought to produce an ad that would stand out. Panes said, “the default execution for offerings like this always seems to involve yuppies debating where to eat for lunch. We’ve done some of those ourselves in the past. So we wanted to avoid that trap. The team churned out a lot of ideas spanning several sessions before we hit on this one. Really started out as a joke by one of the team members, latching on to that “Wala pang ganon.” (“No such thing.”) line which becomes funny when contextualized in a historical setting where modern conveniences are non-existent. We had the gut feeling that the narrative was funny. But we had to make sure that it was working for the proposition, the brand and the target and that we’re not just trying to be weird or funny simply for buzz. We have meals to sell after all. That’s where the “Meron na ngayon.” (“There is now.”) retort comes in as an opportunity to bring in the product, even if illogical.”
On McDonald’s side, Lao and the marketing team immediately pounced on the ‘Prinsipe’ idea. “It won us over because it embodied the brand personality in a refreshing way, had distinctly Filipino humor and gave the products a creative role in the narrative. It was a perfect balance. The marketing team found it amusing and comical that we were all laughing so hard during the first presentation,” she shared.
Noted commercial director Joel Limchoc was the man behind the camera for the ad. “The black-and-white treatment was an input by the director,” Panes said. “He suggested that inasmuch as we were depicting history, why not go all out? He’s done a lot of our memorable films. And we work well with him. We value directors who collaborate well with us because the creative process doesn’t end with the storyboard. We keep the conversation going on how to make the film even better at all stages of production.
As for the ad’s two main protagonists, Panes stated, “Alden has been a strong endorser for McDonald’s so it was a no-brainer for us to bring him in as the handsome prince. The giant, Mark Andaya, was a product of extensive casting by Edge Pasion and his group, inspired by the stereotypical characters of old Pinoy films by LVN and Sampaguita Pictures.”
Finally, Panes enjoyed being able to collaborate with clients like McDonald’s. “We’re happy that our clients share our sense of humor and desire for differentiation,” he noted. “Half the battle is won when you have open-minded and forward-thinking clients. Even if ironically, as in this campaign’s case, progress may sometimes mean going back to the past.”
In turn, McDonald’s’ marketing team was happy with the ad as well as the very positive response gained from consumers. Lao said, “The cinematic style and nostalgia reminiscent of old Pinoy films was well received. Audiences, young and old, are able to recognize and appreciate the black and white treatment of the material.”
McDonald’s Philippines:
Margot Torres — Deputy Managing Director
Kring Lao — Marketing Director
Cholo Perreras — Senior Product Manager
Dea Santos — Assistant Brand Manager
Puch Agodon — Marketing Communications Manager
Pammy Villa-real — Marketing Communications Associate
Leo Burnett Manila:
Creative Team — Raoul Panes, Dante Dizon, Ryan Giron, LA Yamsuan Momon Villanueva, Martin Flordeliza, Oliver Sarmiento, Kaye Toledo, Clarence Santos
Donny Dingcong — Deputy General Manager
Judy Medina — Group Account Director
Earl Dorado — Associate Account Director
Vana Bito — Senior Account Executive
Production Team:
Joel Limchoc –Director
Film Pabrika — Production House
Steve Vesagas, Gab Bustamante — Broadcast Producers
Edge Pasion — Casting Director
Jay Halili — Offline editor
Cris Cantos – Online editor
Allan Feliciano and Jeff Arcilla (Loudbox) – Music
KC Caballero (Hit Productions) – Soundtrack mixing
