Indonesians love Japanese things; from fashion, to anime, to music... even without understanding the language. Using this insight, we teamed up with Ica Zahra, an Indonesian-Japanese singer on the rise, to create a catchy J-Pop song as her highly anticipated new single, fully in Japanese.
The catch? The lyrics were all hard-selling McDonald’s new “Taste of Japan” burger. Titled “Nihon No Fureebaa” which translates to “Taste of Japan” as the burger is called, topped Indonesian music charts in a matter of weeks upon its first release. With song lyrics like, “Tasty beef patty”, “Soft bao bun”, “McDonald’s such an unforgettable taste”… we let people sing along and make dance covers to a burger jingle without knowing it.
WINNING AWARDS
Bronze in Radio Category at Spikes Asia 2024
Silver in Social Media Marketing at MEA 2024
Gold in Advertising at MEA 2024
Gold in ‘Small but Mighty’ category for Feel Good Marketing Awards 2024Bronze in Social Media Marketing at SMARITES MMA 2023
Silver in Product Launch at SMARITES MMA 2023
Gold in Excellence in Launch Marketing at MEA 2023
4 Bronze in Best Use of Influencer Category, Social Media Marketing Category, Best Use of Branded Content & Sponsorship Category, as well as Integrated Media Mix Category at Citra Pariwara Award 2023
Silver in Integrated Campaign Category at Citra Pariwara Award 2023
CASE STUDY
We’ve even cheekily included a promo code in the song, hiding in plain sight: “Just open the app, the code is ‘TOTEMO OISHII’ and you can choose the free menu” in the lyrics.
For the first time ever, a song about burgers had made history, both in pop music and McDonald’s sales.
To elevate the customer experience, we rebranded McDonald’s largest flagship stores across Indonesia into immersive Japanese-themed destinations —Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo— complemented by limited-edition collectible merchandise that further drove sales.
