by Rea Gierran
MANILA – She went back to their usual place. She picks up her order, and finds every table taken, except the one where they had the conversation that broke her heart. A sharp pang of pain hits her as she remembered how much he tried to avert her gaze, how he resisted her touch when she begged him to stay. The thought of sitting on the same spot was daunting, but she continued to walk towards it, smiling. She knows she’ll eventually move on, leave everything behind, and welcome the change that is for the better.
That’s the 60-second video launched by Leo Burnett Manila and Golden Arches Development for the new burger McDo, which roused intense, passionate reactions from the audience. As of this writing, the video was viewed 3.1M times and shared almost 40K times. Marketing Director for Golden Arches Development Corporation, Christina Lao said that the material was uploaded simultaneously on Facebook & Youtube at 11AM last June 5, and it hit 1 million organic views within 12 hours of posting. A 30-second version was aired on television the same day. Sponsored views only kicked in 12:01 AM of June 6, Monday.
“We knew that it had great potential in doing that. You get that gut feeling at storyboard stage and if all goes well, at offline stage. People spontaneously share their stories if you strike a chord with your campaign,” Lao said.
From experiencing the very same painful situation, down to finding love at McDonald’s, the variety of love stories shared was startling.
“That’s the pleasant surprise for us. Now we know “na maraming Pinoy pala ang nasawi na sa pag-ibig” – and many have bounced back.” McDonald’s knew the story would resonate with everyone, from millennials to Gen X-ers for whom the song “Tuloy Pa Rin” is a throwback to the 90s. Lao said there were a lot of love and non-love stories developed for the campaign, but the story of somebody going back to where her relationship ended felt very compelling. “It felt right for the “change” message that the strategy laid out,” she said.
“Tuloy Pa Rin” was taken from another story but it surprisingly worked well with the storyline about a girl finding an empty table with sad memories etched on it.
Described as “every girl’s spirit animal”, the talent for the commercial, Elisse Joson is also receiving favorable feedback. Lao said they chose Joson because she looked perfect for that girl who’ll look fragile after a breakup but will look good too once she regains her composure.
“Making a McDonald’s store a setting for a teary breakup was not a difficult sell to the clients. Other brands would see that as heresy. That’s how brave McDonald’s is and we’re glad we’re being given the freedom to go beyond the usual,” Raoul Panes, Chief Creative Officer of Leo Burnett Manila comments.
McDonald’s and their commercials. *sniff sniff*
CREDITS:
CLIENTS: McDonald’s Philippines – Margot Torres, Christina Lao, Ashley Santillan
AGENCY: Leo Burnett Manila Creatives – Raoul Panes, Mela Advincula, Keena Jauregui, Spiro Barroga, Dan Tingcungco Accounts – Donny Dingcong, Judy Medina, Maik Alturas, Andy Rivera Planning – Joy Santos, Lia Malferrari
PRODUCTION: Joel Limchoc/Film Pabrika, Steve Vesagas, Tria Sordan, Edge Pasion
