'No vote, no choice of burger', says McDonald's

The activation has been conceptualised and executed by the DDB Mudra Group.

Ever since the polling dates were declared for the ongoing General Elections, every brand - big or small - has launched creative communication around the event. Brands like Swiggy, Samsonite, Snapchat, United Colors of Benetton, Times Now, MTV etc. have rolled out campaigns appealing to the masses to go out and cast their votes. The latest one to ride the election wave is McDonald's.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, over 130 million young adults will get to cast their vote. Most of this Gen Z populous has grown up in the era of social media and smartphones and are believed to be politically aware, those who actively fight the 'hashtag war' for an India they believe they deserve. Targeting this huge population and also aiming to encourage these young voters, Hardcastle Restaurants, the master franchisee of McDonald's in West and South India, launched a social activation titled #MakeYourChoice.

McDonald’s India's social activation campaign - #MakeYourChoice

As part of the initiative, customers who didn't vote were served something other than what they ordered at a McDonald's. When baffled and somewhat frustrated customers complained about the wrong order, the staff pointed out that since they did not cast their vote, they lost their right to choose what they want.

Arvind RP

"We are making a small yet significant effort to sensitise the youth about the power of their vote. The message is simple - if you don't vote, you lose the right to choose. Our planning revolved around bringing this alive in our restaurants with our customers in a way that motivates the youth to exercise their right to choose their elected representative," says Arvind RP, director - marketing and communications, Hardcastle Restaurants.

However, the key challenge was to execute the campaign without hampering consumer loyalty and still getting the message across to vote. "While we were apprehensive about displeasing our customers by deliberately serving them incorrect orders, we were confident that as the story unfolds they will realise the underlying positive and empowering message," Arvind explains.

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"In a few cases, we actually had customers who came back to our restaurants after voting and that is a testimony to how small efforts can make a big difference," he adds.

The activation has been conceptualised and executed by the DDB Mudra Group. The video was published across all of McDonald's India's social properties - Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.