HONG KONG – DDB Group Hong Kong and McDonald’s have won GOLD for Campaign Asia’s Agency Marketer Partnership Award, recognising the most effective client-agency relationship in the region.
Announced earlier last week, the revered accolade commends innovative and collaborative partnerships that have delivered outstanding work and sustainable ROI over time. The iconic collaboration between DDB Group Hong Kong and McDonald’s was forged in 1975, and has gone from strength to strength over 41 years in business together. Seamless teamwork, water tight business insights and a shared passion for and commitment to the brand have seen the duo win at every major local, regional and international award show from Kam Fan Hong Kong to Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. The group’s shared achievements have become legendary in the McDonald’s system worldwide.
“DDB never focuses on the achievements of yesterday, only on the challenges of the present, and the needs of the future.,” said Randy Lai, Managing Director, McDonald’s Hong Kong. “They are always there when I need them most, contributing in ways that go way beyond the traditional role of an agency, and impacting every aspect of our business.”
Peter Rodenbeck, VP Regional Director at DDB Group Hong Kong attributes the success of the relationship to McDonald’s willingness to take risks, celebrate great ideas and embrace the agency as a full business partner. The partnership is rooted in the strong, symbiotic relationship of the teams on both sides of the business.
“Over the last ten years, McDonald’s commitment to the fundamentals of a great partnership has produced results again and again and again. The relationship has become the benchmark of success for every other team within the agency, and across the DDB/McDonald’s network,” added Rodenbeck.
2015 marked a challenging year for McDonald’s Hong Kong, and the start of the company’s move away from fast food into casual dining. The transition kicked into gear with DDB Group Hong Kong’s multi-award winning ‘My Signature Burger: The world’s first patent burger’ campaign that challenged Hong Kongers to design and patent their own unique burger creations. The campaign laid the groundwork for McDonald’s shift to a high quality, consumer-led offering.
A collection of groundbreaking campaigns followed to carry the momentum into 2016. In June 2015, DDB Group Hong Kong put the Big Mac back into the spotlight with ‘The Big Mac karaoke chant’. 90s Cantopop star and McDonald’s TV ad veteran Ram Chiang led the comeback of the ages with a retro, karaoke version of the Big Mac chant. The song went viral and McDonald’s Hong Kong sold a record-breaking number of Big Macs across the city.
A few months later, DDB Group Hong Kong stripped away all branding and delighted unsuspecting diners at a pop-up restaurant with a surprise meal featuring non other than McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with Cheese. When asked to pay what they thought the meal was worth, customers shelled out up to tenfold the retail price of the iconic burger.
DDB Group Hong Kong’s most recent campaign for McDonald’s saw the revival of McDonald’s ads from the past to celebrate the company’s latest store and first-ever pop-up toy museum at Cityplaza in Taikoo. The campaign taps into the power of nostalgia as a catalyst to remind customers of McDonald’s rich heritage in Hong Kong, while paving the way for the future of casual dining.
“It’s that unique combination of comprehensive business knowledge and a deep, deep commitment to our brand that gives me confidence that tomorrow will continue to be even better than today,” concluded Lai.
