Al Shatti Street in Qurm has been adorned by the first-of-its-kind innovative advertising campaign in Muscat launched by McDonald’s, in partnership with Muscat Municipality and JCDecaux Oman. JCDecaux’s MUPI turned into a bright yummy French fries box to intrigue and attract attention to McDonald’s signature product.
What was the brief for the campaign?
JCDecaux’s creative team elaborated on several ideas which were put forward and mocked up before finally deciding on a realistic representation of the iconic McDonald’s fries.
McDonald’s wanted to execute an out of the box concept to grab the attention of its target audience by leveraging on OOH’s capabilities to create innovative campaigns in the outdoor environment.
How did the creatives interpret that brief?
The creatives focused on the ‘must-have with every meal’ product of fries and put together some visuals and a mock-up of a 3D design of the fries filling up the famous McDonald’s packaging, mimicking the overfill of the real-life product.
Explain how the campaign looks and where it is executed (how many giant portions of fries are there, and where?)
JCDecaux’s dedicated network for innovative installations is located Strategically near pedestrian areas with high volumes of traffic and footfall offering the campaign optimal visibility.
The larger-than-life 3D model of the world-famous McDonald’s fries is lighting up the sidewalk in an area of the city where pedestrians and drivers cannot fail to notice it. It is a groundbreaking move towards exceptional creativity in street advertising, whereby a landmark model has been installed and where you can almost smell and taste the product as you view it. The innovative first-of-its-kind campaign invites the audience to scan the QR code and encourages them to order their next McDonald’s meal through its app. OOH drives acquisition and conversion of customers through a proven drive-to-store or drive-to-search effect. Innovation in street advertising is intended to enhance the reach of advertisers to their target audience, in relevant areas, and maximize returns on their investment.
Who were the creatives behind it? (Agency/people?)
JCDecaux’s creative team elaborated on several ideas which were put forward directly to the client who decided to opt for a realistic representation of McDonald’s signature fries.
How long will the fries be there for?
This first installation was set prior to the Ramadan festivities and will remain in situ for a period of one month.
What has the reaction been?
Mr. Ali Daoud, Chairman and President of Daud Restaurants, has expressed delight at the first-of-its-kind animation of the famous French fries, stating “it is the most famous and iconic product for McDonald’s and a perfect fit for such an innovative execution. It will strengthen our position as leaders in the industry”. He claims this only furthers the more-than-two-decade partnership between McDonald’s and JCDecaux Oman which has played a major role in the brand’s growth and success in the Sultanate: “we truly value the partnership between our organizations”. Speaking on behalf of Muscat Municipality, Mr. Shabib bin Harib Al Busaidi, Director of the Department of Investment and Economic Diversification, says that this campaign is producing an effective interaction with the public and contributing to the aesthetic aspect of the city. He stated, “this is the kind of progressive campaign that we aspire to create through the strategic partnership between the Municipality and JCDecaux”.
Seconding the value of partnership working, Bechir Chehab, Managing Director of JCDecaux Oman, expressed the importance of introducing creativity and out of the box thinking from the traditional forms of execution, thus focusing on innovation in advertising campaigns. This execution, he says, supports the new inventive trends in the Sultanate and supports its vision for Oman 2040. Projects such as this will enhance the role and effectiveness of outdoor advertising and bring with it a certain energy to Muscat. In addition, such original campaigns leverage on the compatibility of out-of-home to digital marketing when consumer engagement extends to social media platforms.
