McDonald's HK spreads love to underprivileged families with Star Ferry party

In celebration of the Chinese New Year, McDonald's Hong Kong and Caritas Hong Kong have teamed up to launch a McDonald's-themed Star Ferry party, spreading love and joy to underprivileged families.

In a conversation with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, McDonald's spokesperson said as part of Hong Kong’s social fabric for 50 years, the brand aims to reinforce its commitment as a purpose-driven and family brand to feed and foster communities, creating happy moments for its community at large as its founder, Ray Kroc said, “we have an obligation to give back to the community that gives so much to us.” At the heart of our brand is our relationship and bonding with the community."

As part of the campaign, McDonald’s Hong Kong invited 50 grassroots families to participate and take a free Star Ferry tour around Victoria Harbour to share the joy of McDonald's 50th anniversary in Hong Kong.

On the day of the event, the participants were greeted with iconic McDonald’s beloved characters, including the Hamburglar, Grimace and Birdle, who made a surprise appearance at the party.

The participating families mainly came from Kwun Tong, Sham Shui Po, Wong Tai Sin and Tsuen Wan districts, with many of them riding the Star Ferry for the first time. In addition to enjoying the scenery on both sides of Victoria Harbour, participating families also received McDonald's 50th anniversary themed gifts, Happy Meal toys and McDonald's gift certificates.

Rather than perceiving the activity as a marketing campaign, this is more of a community engagement initiative, said the spokesperson. Leveraging the momentum of its 50th anniversary celebration and the McDonald’s themed Ferry Ride announced earlier this year that resonates with its audience, the brand has extended its love and happiness further to the wider community it has grown with for 50 years.

"With the press release distributed before Chinese New Year, we strategically capitalising on the festive season by capturing how the event brought joy to families through curating quality family time with surprise from the iconic McDonaldland characters as well as red packets and 50th anniversary gift giveaway."

The activity was reported extensively on mainstream print and online media including free dailies to reach the mass community. "We also leveraged the power of McDonald’s volunteers to feature the activity on their own social media channels to connect with more like-minded peers."

Randy Lai, CEO, McDonald’s Hong Kong, said: “As a brand that grows together with Hong Kong people, McDonald's Hong Kong has been adhering to the corporate spirit of ‘taking from society and using it for society’ for 50 years, helping people in need in society, providing them with warmth and delivering positive energy. I am very happy to cooperate with Caritas Hong Kong to send festive blessings to parents and children and spend happy time with them. "

Joseph Yim, president of Caritas Hong Kong, said: “Joyful parent-child time is particularly important for children's growth. Caritas Hong Kong would like to thank McDonald's Hong Kong for arranging a unique Star Ferry party for grassroots families, bringing them a festive atmosphere.”

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Most recently, McDonald's Hong Kong unveiled a 50th anniversary campaign to thank all citizens for their companionship over the years.

Done in collaboration with creative agency DDB Group Hong Kong and media agency OMD Hong Kong, the year-long campaign aims to highlight McDonald’s role in the cherished memories of Hongkongers, uniting both young and old in a shared celebration of the brand’s significance in the city.

The campaign has kicked off with a ceremony featuring a dance performance by dancers dressed in classic McDonald's Hong Kong uniforms from various eras. It includes the appearances of Hong Kong rap duo SoftHard's (軟硬) Jan Lamb and Eric Kot, who starred in numerous classic McDonald's Hong Kong commercials.

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