McDonald's Philippines has created a lovingly heartwarming and touching ad in time for the Christmas Celebration, which in the Philippines runs from September late into January 2016. This ad has touched many Filipino families, particularly because Christmas is the season where family members from overseas reunite with their loved ones. Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) is a growing phenomenon in the Philippines where a family member, most likely parents, explore opportunities abroad in the hope of making a better living for the family.
This ad uses music as a tool for storytelling by using the lyrics of a song combined with strong local narrative to create authentic connection with its target audience. By doing so, McDonald’s Philippines has captured the hearts of its consumers using meaningful content and relevant music in advertising.
Global brand builds local identity using music
McDonald’s Philippines launched this beautiful tribute to parents as a means to celebrate both the hard work and rewarding moments of parenthood. Leo Burnett Manila has created a heartwarming ad which shows poignant moments between children and parents. The use of music in this ad has given a local 70’s hit “Handog (Offering)” a resurgence, which was originally performed by Filipino music icon, Florante. This tune was made even more memorable with its upcycled version of Filipino children singing lovingly to dedicate the song to their parents.
This meaningful ad proves how a global brand can use music to effectively share a local story that echoes the sentiments of its target consumers. By using a Filipino song to recreate remarkable and familiar moments between parents and children, McDonald’s Philippines has made its brand relevant to the local community.
“McDonald’s has grown with Filipino families through the years. The brand has been their consistent partner through various life stages. And there is nothing more important to us than helping parents bond with their children in a family-centric society like the Philippines,” remarked Margot Torres, Deputy Managing Director and Executive Vice-President.
Rich emotive storytelling is what this sentimental ad reinforces to the consumer so elegantly and warmly, with McDonald’s capturing a local narative to create authentic connection with its target audience.
The ad which was released in January has had more than 2 million hits on YouTube alone, sparking good commentaries in the digital community. The ad, seeded online and shown on TV, has received over 8m views in total across the brand’s social media channels.
As what we’ve seen in the past, positive and emotive storytelling drives higher engagement than than negative ones.
McDonald's PH captures the hearts of its consumers with music in advertising
Christina Lao, Marketing Director at McDonald’s, said the response on social media would feed into future strategies. “It’s gratifying to see how meaningful this has become for Filipino families with the overwhelming positive response from consumers. This inspires us to do greater things for them with the brand.”
Evoking positive emotions is key to advertising success
Music can bring value to a brand in many ways by reinforcing identity, driving engagement, association and relevance. This sentimental ad McDonald's is proving a worldwide phenomenon that music in advertising builds brand value. Take for example John Lewis, whose Christmas Ads are seen to be very effective, because of how it uses music to touch consumers emotionally.
>> Read our article British department store John Lewis' ad creates emotive storytelling through music <<
There are a lot of modern studies to measure the effectivity of advertising, but the general consensus across all researches is that emotions are at the heart of the relationship consumers have with brands. They influence the consumers' conscious decisions whilst driving nonconscious decisions. A study from Nielsen reveals that ads with strong emotional elements can boost sales as much as 23%.
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Follow @TunedGlobalWith compelling evidence such as McDonald's Christmas Ad, we see how encouraging positive emotions and using relevant music is a sure way to develop brand affinity. Brands need to stand out in an increasingly cluttered commerce world, and music is one of the best ways to create authentic connections with your consumers. By being mindful of how a perfect song choice can recreate memorable moments in a Filipino household, McDonald's Philippines has once again made its brand relevant the local community.
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Copyright Pictures Property: YouTube.com, philstar.com
