Page 43 - HKMA 2020 Awards Souvenir Programme

Bronze Award

“McDonald’s ‘The Surprise Chicken Expert’”
McDonald’s Hong Kong

Though McDonald’s was already the #1 QSR brand in Hong Kong, it keeps looking for new breakthrough growth opportunities.
Research showed that one of the biggest potential market was fried chicken, specifically bone-in-chicken (BIC). Though it was clear
this was an area it had to enter, how does McDonald’s launch a BIC product in a market with an existing dominant competitor?
During product testing, one thing was clear: people love McDonald’s McWings. Consumers told McDonald’s that if it could made
BIC taste like McWings, McDonald’s might have a winner in its hands. It brought McDonald’s a big idea: The Surprise Chicken
E­ xpert. McDonald’s is not entirely a new player in the fried chicken game, because it has been making a Hong Kong favourite this
whole time. Social listening also informed McDonald’s that customers of its major rival had been complaining about “dry chicken”,
so McDonald’s knew it should own JUICY as a proposition.
McDonald’s launched the first digitally-led campaign in the history of McDonald’s HK, designed to make noise on both online
and offline mediums. It launched a social-first teaser video reminding people how much they love the McWings, and that its new
Crispy Thighs were its next evolution. McDonald’s released a series of mouth-watering JUICY videos and blanketed above-the-line
channels with its visuals. McDonald’s even turned one of its stores into a MChicken store, a Chicken-only McDonald’s that served
only Crispy Thighs, to much viral fanfare.
The campaign was an incredible success. Fans raved about Crispy Thighs to the tune of 29 million online impressions. One million
units were sold in the first 10 days, and over five million units during the campaign period, growing from zero to a double digit
market share of the BIC market. Because of the superior performance, McDonald’s made Crispy Thighs as a permanent #10 Extra
Value Meal to let more consumers enjoy the juiciness all year round!

Comments from the Judges:
It was commended as a bold and groundbreaking marketing campaign, which enabled McDonald’s to tap the young generation
by launching the “Surprised Chicken Thighs” while competing against the dominant players in the fried chicken segment.
With the thorough understanding of its target audience and a clear product proposition, the campaign accurately beat the
competition without diluting the existing image of McDonald’s as the global “Burger Expert”. Seeing an opportunity for “Juicy”
chicken, the campaign generated excitement and elevated awareness towards the new product through a fully integrated
marketing strategy. Through social advertisement, outdoor media placements and buzzworthy events at high-traffic spots and
outlets, McDonald’s maximized its online and offline visibility and established itself as the “The Surprise Chicken Expert”in the eyes
of Hong Kong consumers.
The campaign delivered meritorious financial results and an extremely high engagement rate. By rethinking the media mix and
placing more emphasis on social and activation, McDonald’s has unlocked its creativity and exceeded customer expectation with
a genuine product experience.
Parties to be Recognized for Contributing to the Success of the Programme:
1. DDB Group Hong Kong
2. Fimmick Limited
3. OMD Hong Kong

41HKMA/TVB AWARDS FOR MARKETING EXCELLENCE 2020