Although the unified campaign was the second since McDonald's consolidated its southern China media planning and buying brief with OMD last November, the burger chain said it had "nothing to do with the agency shakeout".
Giorgio Minardi, vice-president, chief marketing officer of McDonald's, linked the campaign to a restructuring of the company.
"We are all creatively attached with more people thinking and more collaborations," he said. "In the next couple of years, there will be initiatives targeted for all of the markets as we stress our new goal of togetherness."
The campaign, which was developed by DDB Hong Kong, created an event around Chinese New Year to make it a fun celebration.
It consisted of three TVCs, a folding game card, premiums and in-store ads. Shantel Wong, senior director, marketing, McDonald's China, added that it made sense to use the campaign in several regions that were culturally similar. "Good creative ideas travel and we really want to talk to all our Chinese customers across regions," she said. "We will focus on the Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Shenzhen regions together whenever we have the opportunity to enhance the brand. I don't see any geographical barriers."
Minardi added that customers' lifestyles in the Hong Kong and Guangdong areas are converging towards the same direction and that McDonald's is following a more customer-driven focus. "There is a need to bring the customers closer to the brand," he said.
McDonald's next campaign in Hong Kong promotes value and variety, according to Jodie Cheung, the chain's Hong Kong marketing manager. "We will be offering a free pie of a different flavour for four weeks when you purchase an 'Everyday Value Meal'."
The creative by DDB, shows a man and a woman in an elevator. Although the woman is standing closer to the elevator buttons, she asks the man to hit it for her. As he leans over, she gives him a kiss on the cheek.
"This is a more European-style TVC to signify that we are giving out sweet offers," said Cheung. The ad will also run in Shenzhen and Guangzhou for four weeks.