SUMMARY
Chinese New Year is about the only time of year when McDonald’s – as a U.S. fast food giant – found little role to play. However, CNY also sets off the world’s largest annual human migration as millions “migrate” from 1st tier cities back to their 3rd tier and 4th tier cities, Chinese also complete a whole set of “transfiguration”, their names change from “Mary” – which has an urban ring – to “Cuihua” – which has a rustic ring, their outfits change and even daily routines change. McDonald’s has a Chinese name that was mocked historically but given the “transfiguration” traditions can now have cultural relevance with Chinese consumers. We launched a video portraying different young consumers “transfiguring” but also revealing that their parents are also changing – just like how McDonald’s “transfigures” into “Golden Arches”. Then we introduced “Golden Arches” Bucket and a set of “Golden Gourmet” in the format of Chinese traditional crosstalk.
