Malaysian Media Awards Winners Showcase





2017 | |

Syok to be Malaysian

Advertiser: Gerbang Alaf Restaurants Sdn Bhd
Brand: McDonald's Malaysia
Creative Agency: -
Credits: -

The Challenge
McDonald’s Burger Syok was a limited time only product, custom-made for the patriotic season of National Day and Malaysia Day. Every year, we encounter various advertisers’ emotional ads about nation-building. To rise above the clutter and rally all the diverse groups of Malaysians, McDonald’s needed to be innovative.

Insight, Strategy and the Idea
Despite their frequent grumbling, Malaysians still have great affection for Malaysia. So ‘Syok to be Malaysian’ was the perfect slogan. It’s also colloquial, quirky and owned by ALL Malaysians across all age groups. The strategy was to subtly remind Malaysians of how ‘syok’ it is being Malaysian, thereby cementing Burger Syok’s appeal and stake McDonald’s claim in the hearts of Malaysian families. The perfect media were to pair Malaysian cartoonist Datuk Lat and his lighthearted artwork with newspapers, which has a strong family-based readership. Hence newspapers served to reach this group of Malaysians: the family unit.

Media Execution
We seamlessly merged Datuk Lat’s artwork and the Burger Syok into newspapers. First, we worked closely with all major newspaper titles to select uplifting stories to illustrate how ‘syok’ it is to be Malaysian. Then we created ‘Syok to be Malaysian’ blurbs to be placed next to the ‘syok’ stories to highlight those ‘syok’ moments, which were followed by prominent Burger Syok ads to link the product to the uplifting feelings. Tying even more strongly to the season, Datuk Lat’s portrayals were the common theme that ran across McDonald’s prominently placed National Day and Malaysia Day greeting ads.

Results and Effectiveness
The quirky lightheartedness of the campaign had a big impact: ● Sales outperformed projections. It sold out in 3 weeks, i.e. 1 week earlier. ● 74% of those surveyed had seen our advertising. ● Involvement and motivation scores improved by 11%. ● 38% more people were attracted to this product.