Arvind RP on McDonald’s Anime strategy to woo GenZ

On April 5, McDonald’s (West & South) ventured into the captivating world of Anime culture, reimagining its renowned Linking Road outlet in Bandra, Mumbai, as WcDonald’s. This playful nod to Anime’s influence, where McDonald’s is often humorously depicted as WcDonald’s, draws inspiration from its appearances in series like ‘Cat’s Eyes’. This move by McDonald’s India (West & South), under Westlife Foodworld Limited, celebrates the enthusiasm of Gen Z for Anime, introducing ‘WcDonald’s’ as a homage to this vibrant culture.

Talking about the recent store revamp, Arvind RP, Chief Marketing Officer, McDonald’s India (W&S), told Adgully that this is one of the very few stores globally that has been completely revamped. “The Linking Road, Bandra store is of special importance to us because it is one of the first stores in Mumbai in India and we wanted to bring it alive for our consumers. The Anime meal is available across all our restaurants in West and South, but the store revamp is one of its kind.”

The brand has also introduced Anime meals. 

“The meal has options of Chicken McNuggets and fries paired with a globally-inspired sauce, the savory chili WcDonald’s sauce, as we call it. And that is something new that’s there for one month for consumers and anime fans. Not only the meal, but also the packaging is altered into Anime packaging. The delivery bag will be Anime-themed. The fries packet will be Anime-themed. The Coke will be Anime-themed. Of course, the sauce is Anime-themed too. So, a complete revamp of the packaging has been done, reflecting Anime culture,” Arvind elaborated.

To promote this launch McDonald’s has created a lot of global content focused on Anime. Giving a brief background on this campaign, Arvind said, “There is a massive fan base for Anime. The brand already exists in the Anime universe as “WcDonalds”. This is simply an acknowledgment of McDonald’s presence in that space, bringing it to life.”

Apart from the revamp and menu modifications, a crucial aspect was the absence of their mascot – Ronald McDonald, the clown – in this outlet. “Ronald is not present in this particular store, but he is featured in many stores across India. He remains an integral part of our brand in numerous locations,” Arvind maintained.

Regarding the media mix, Arvind said that this campaign features a wealth of digital assets that the brand will promote, all showcasing Anime content that one already sees in its stores. It will be visible on digital platforms, across touchpoints, and on the apps. When one visits the McDelivery app and the McDonald’s app, users will see the Anime campaign live.

Arvind also credited the creative agency behind all of this, DDB Mudra. “This team has worked extensively to ensure the detailing is very strong,” he added.

Apart from the campaign, McDonald’s is also expected to collaborate with Anime platforms. Sharing some insights, Arvind mentioned that it is mostly McDonald’s own platforms, but collaborations might also be seen. “Hopefully, we will announce it in the next fortnight. Those platforms and collaborations will help us reach more audiences, especially those who love anime. We’ll talk about it soon,” he said.

An Anime enthusiast himself, Arvind spoke about the idea behind this revamp. He said, “I follow various trends. When this idea emerged, I knew we had to pursue it. Then I tasked my team with researching: Is it just me? Is it limited to a few individuals in the office? We discovered that it is a significant trend. We realised that Anime fans in India rank second globally. This trend spans across multiple categories in India, including apparel, gaming, and OTT. So, it is quite prominent in India.”