McDonald's adds DDB to China roster for ATL work

The fast food giant has added DDB China as one of its official roster agencies in the mainland to handle its national value campaigns and, significantly, its seven-month pre-Olympics marketing programme. Prior to the decision, only Tribal DDB worked on McDonald’s business in China - handling a slew of digital products since it secured the business in January of this year.

The move sees DDB join McDonald’s other roster agencies - TBWA and Leo Burnett. Together, the trio form McDonald’s global creative line-up.

Burnett previously handled the above-the-line component of McDonald’s value campaigns, rolling out the popular Professor Super Savings character in tandem with Tribal DDB earlier this year.

Over the last two years, DDB has increased its McDonald’s business at the expense of Burnett in Singapore and the Philippines.

“As McDonald’s business continues to expand in China with multiple growth platforms, the addition of DDB into our creative agency portfolio will put McDonald’s in a even stronger position to accelerate our speed to market as well as to fully maximise our first-mover advantage,” said McDonald’s newly-appointed chief marketing officer Phyllis Cheung.

Cheung takes on the CMO role after previously serving as national marketing director under former CMO Gary Rosen, who resigned earlier this month to become SVP at InterContinental Hotels Group, based in Singapore.

Rosen moves on after two years at McDonald’s China and six with the company in total. “Part of my job was talent management - and my job is 90 per cent done,” said Rosen.

At IHG, Rosen will oversee marketing, sales, communications and research for all of the group’s brands across Asia-Pacific.