McDonald’s Marks 25 Years In India, Launches #25ActsofHappy Campaign

McDonald’s celebrated 25 Years of 'Loving it' In India with its #25ActsofHappy campaign by taking up 25 good acts. Arvind RP, Director - Marketing and Communications, McDonald’s India (West and South) discussed the burger behemoth’s campaign and said, “Given our brand journey over the last 25 years, we didn’t want to limit our celebrations to one month, but spread it out over a year, given that we plan to do 25 good acts, and that’s not something you can really put a timeline to".

The first act - #MemoryBites is a campaign that the brand is sure will pull at heartstrings. As Arvind says, “So many of us have childhood memories of eating at Mcdonalds and we’ve always been a place for celebration. As everyone comes out of the pandemic, which has been tough for everyone, we wanted to take customers to happier times. Whether big or small celebrations, a lot of them have been held at McDonald's and so we thought about how to bring back those cherished memories.“

All customers need to do is share their fond memories from McDonald’s on social media, tagging McDonald’s India (West and South Twitter handles), and wait for a delicious surprise in their inboxes. Indeed, Arvind notes how the brand has been keeping connected with its consumers using all kinds of media, with mobile and digital having grained enormous traction over the course of the pandemic as it strived to bring some cheer to everyone as well as keep them informed. 

Following on the #MemoryBites, McDonald's (West and South) is revamping its Happy Meal, perhaps one of the company’s most enduring legacies. McDonald’s has partnered with leading FMCG company ITC Ltd. to add a differentiated fruit beverage, B Natural to the Happy Meal. B Natural’s Mixed Fruit beverage is made from fruit pulp, puree, and the juice of six Indian fruits, in a drink that has been concocted exclusively for the brand. The new Happy Meal is available across all McDonald’s restaurants in West and South India.

Speaking on the launch of the new Happy meal, Arvind said, “At McDonald’s, we have always been cognizant of the needs and demands of our ever-evolving consumers. Children are an integral part of the McDonald’s family, and we are excited to bring this new wholesome Happy MealTM to them. This initiative helps us further strengthen our commitment to the Good Food Journey.”

As the global restaurant chain confronted the same challenges of businesses around the world over the course of the pandemic, Arvind says there were a lot of lessons learned going forward. “We’ve taken a number of steps to reassure our customers, whether it’s stepping out to eat, or even ordering in. We were one of the first brands to enable contactless delivery, and now even as people have started stepping out, we want to remind them that McDonald's is one of the safest places to eat due to our high levels of safety standards and quality checks on every aspect of our product.”

“One of the key insights we’ve had is that eating out has become even more important since the pandemic. Of course, lunch and dinner have always been important, but they have gained far more importance since before the pandemic. Consumers are looking for something new, indulgent and filling, and so we also used our anniversary to launch a new range of top-of-the-line gourmet burgers. Along with that, and the groundwork we have laid with our Golden Guarantee of safety, I believe we are well-placed to attract customers as they begin stepping out,” Arvind added.