McDonald's urges youth to go offline, 'Internet se hat, for a few minutes'

Tweets, Chats and Posts have become the norm as social interactions are increasingly virtualized. McDonald’s through its latest campaign aims to encourage people to go offline for some time with the tagline “KuchPalOffline McDonald’s aake share kar le” and invites them to reconnect in the real world with friends and families and share good times over good food.

A research undertaken by McDonalds and Leo Burnett tapped into over 1700 customers and indicated that consumers did not find Western Fast Food (WFF) brands differentiated enough. So when it came to making a choice, consumers choose depending on the occasion without giving specific brands a defined share. McDonald’s decided to use this understanding to create a campaign that invited customers to take a break from the online world and connect with friends and family in real time – and what better place to do so than at McDonald’s where they could catch up with friends and family over their favourite products.

According to Kedar Teny, Director- Marketing & Digital, McDonald’s India West & South, “Today we are a lot more distracted - physically present and mentally absent - accentuated by the smartphone in our hands. This summer, McDonalds is urging people to go offline for a while. We are not asking people to disconnect from the internet entirely. All we are saying is go offline for some time; be present in the moment and share in the real world. Simply put we want to start a conversation and a movement amongst our customers with #KuchPalOffline. As an added incentive, McDonald’s would offer special sharing packs for those visiting the restaurant in groups.”

Sachin Kamble and Prajato Guha Thakurta, Executive Creative Directors, Leo Burnett, added, “We have crafted a foot tapping anthem that urges people to take a break from the virtual world and share real moments with real people.”

“Through a simple and effective mnemonic like ‘flipping the phone upside down, the campaign aims to remind people that ‘the power to balancing online and offline worlds’ is in their own hands. This is a philosophy which we have brought to life across mediums including in-store, through various real-time and engaging acts,” said Hitesh Mehta, Vice President, Planning, Leo Burnett.

This fun brand campaign from McDonald’s comes at a time when the QSR market is seeing an influx of new brands that are offering consumers more options to choose from when dining out. Also, summer months are typically important months for QSR players as school and colleges shut for the summer break and consumers spend more time out of home with friends and family.

The campaign is a call to action for customers to come create memories while they enjoy their favourite McDonald’s products. Customers can choose from exciting super saver sharing packs. A sharing pack for 2 or 3 allows the consumer to choose between all time favorites like McAloo Tikki™, McEgg™Chicken McGrill™, or between McVeggie™, and McChicken™. Customers can also add desserts, medium fries and regular coke, starting at Rs 219.

“The campaign will take a multimedia approach and will be promoted across various platforms –TV, print, radio, digital and outdoor. With the TVC we want to encourage customers to go #KuchPalOffline with a simple act of ‘flip to share’ rather than ‘click to share”. Unique in-store activation and special merchandising like the mobile pouch to enable customers to take kuch pal offline has been created to support the campaign,” Kedar Teny added.

McDonald’s continually offers quality products at great value and has come a long way since its inception in 1996. The latest campaign kuch pal offline showcases McDonald’s attention to the evolving consumer and creates a social message that keeps the customer at the core.