McDonald's Indonesia spotlights elderly community this Raya

McDonald’s Indonesia latest Hari Raya campaign features two short films titled "Family Day Out” and “Golden Stage”. Both films look through the eyes of elderly Indonesians, and spotlight the loneliness they can feel during the festive season – which McDonald’s looks to address this Ramadan. McDonald’s worked with Leo Burnett Indonesia for the campaign. 

"Family Day Out” shows a family who proactively spends time with an elderly neighbour, who is alone during Ramadan, and strive to make him feel like family. According to a press statement, McDonald’s aims to encourage fortunate families to gift their time to those who need it and build new connections through the film.

For “Golden Stage”, McDonald’s converts its party spaces - traditionally used for kid’s parties – for the film, and celebrates elderly Indonesians’ various talents. Therein elderly Indonesians are given an opportunity to perform through dance, music, and other miscellaneous skills. 

Both films are available to watch on McDonald’s Indonesia’s official YouTube page, and have gained significant traction from both online and offline channels. 

In addition to the films, McDonald’s Indonesia will be extending its campaign to elderly Indonesians in-store, where the brand has introduced ‘The Golden Table’ – a table that prioritises and celebrates older customers. According to a press statement, 'The Golden Table’ initiative is a way to encourage people to take oldest members of their families or their neighbours out, for some bonding time together. It will be available in 226 McDonald’s’ outlets in Indonesia.

"Golden Vouchers" will also be given to the eldest member on the table in-store, as a token of gratitude for choosing McDonald’s to break fast, with offers of a free dessert or coffee. 

Michael Hartono, marketing director at McDonald’s Indonesia said that this year, McDonald’s new campaign nudges people to extend the spirit of kindness and giving to the elderly, which has always been at the centre of Ramadan.

Ravi Shanker, chief creative officer, Publicis Groupe Indonesia, added that due to COVID-19, elderly Indonesians had become more isolated and looked to remedy this by harnessing the power of McDonald’s as a brand that catalyses feel-good moments. 

“Ramadan has always focused on the importance of family togetherness in a more conventional way, we decided to make the festive season more inclusive by spotlighting an audience that has been making Ramadan memorable for many generations,” sai d Shanker. 

Additionally, the campaign enlisted production company Think Tank to film the various videos, where ‘Family Day Out’ film was shot with Rajay Singh from Think Tank, and 'Golden Stage’ with Tyas Asko from Think Tank. 

This is not McDonald's first campaign in the region to address social issues this year. McDonald's Singapore earlier launched a festive film for the Ramadan season, this time telling the story of an inter-racial couple who face societal discrimination, but are able to reconcile the discrimination they face through their shared love of food. McDonald's Singapore said that as a brand that brings people together, it was delighted to celebrate the spirit of Ramadan with an inspiring story of love and inclusivity. Similarly, McDonald's Hong Kong collaborated with NGO Caritas Hong Kong in March to distribute meal vouchers to some 30,000 low-income families, as Hong Kong faced its worst wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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