McDonald's SG normalises 'Night-In', splits ad targeting Gen Z and Gen Y

McDonald’s Singapore has unveiled a new campaign named "Night-In", which aims to reflect how nights-in have become the new nights out. The campaign is fronted by a 45-second spot that mirrors the newfound joys of staying home, or better known as “Cocoon Culture”. Featuring an original, soulful music track to capture the essence of a night-in, the film aims to celebrate the night-in crowd who unabashedly revel in spending their quiet time indoors, either alone or with their loved ones.

The ad is also edited into two separate 15-second versions, with one targeting at Gen Z and another targeted at Millennials. The ad for Gen Z is titled "#FOMO is out. #JOMO is in. Tonight. Are you in? McDonald's." One can only assume JOMO in this case refers to the "Joy of missing out", which contrasts the term "FOMO", or fear of missing out. Meanwhile, the shorter ad for Millennials is titled "Work out, chill out, go all out. Tonight. Are You In? McDonald’s." The original ad was done in partnership with director Roslee Yusof from Freeflow Productions, who said he wanted to create a distinct sound, scene and style for what a great night in Singapore might feel like these days. 

The campaign is done in collaboration with Leo Burnett, the agency picked in December last year to handle McDonald's creative and digital duties. Besides being available on YouTube, McDonald's will also be running the Millennial-targeted ad on Facebook and TV ads, while the Gen Z ad will be on TikTok and Instagram. These platforms were chosen based on where the respective audiences are most active on. 

Although the two shorter targeted clips look similar at first glance, the activities featured in each ad is selected to resonate a little more with one age group than the other, Jennie Morris, chief creative officer at Publicis Communications, Singapore told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE. "The way each clip is edited (with a lot more scenes in the Gen Z clip to make it pacier) also took the audience into consideration. That said, even the clip for the Millennials has a lot more scenes as compared to regular spots we see. Afterall, that’s also the vibe that the Millennials are into," Morris added. 

The campaign concept was sparked by a Publicis study conducted in partnership with Milieu Data, which sought to understand changes in consumer behaviour over the pandemic period. The study found that an overwhelming amount of respondents in Singapore preferred staying in, with 79% indicating their preference to stay home and enjoy a quiet meal with the family.

The numbers were even more indicative among youth, where 83% of Gen Z respondents reacted positively to the idea of spending personal time at home alone.

The regional study featured almost 20,000 respondents from Singapore, and analysed data based on the preferred activities of consumers over weekends. MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out for additional information.

Drina Chee, senior director, marketing and digital customer experience, McDonald’s Singapore said the company's strength in round-the-clock convenience, through its services such as McDelivery, drive-thru, takeaway or late-night dine-in, makes it "a natural fit" with consumers' night-time ritual. "We’re all about connecting with our customers whenever and wherever they need us. And with staying-in becoming a preferred way to gather, nothing beats the feel-good moments of one’s McDonald’s favourites alongside friends and family, in the comfort of home," Chee said.

Morris added that the premise of the night-in crowd allowed the agency to take McDonald’s into a territory that’s "whimsical yet relatable", in a visual language that feels unique and ownable for the brand.

As part of its "Night-In" campaign, McDonald's also recently launched two staycation packages with Klook and Oakwood Premier AMTD Singapore. The staycation packages, one for couples and another targeted at families, come with exclusive McDonald’s take-home merchandise such as McDonald’s loungewear set, cushions, eyemasks, as well as in-store dining vouchers. Made available on Klook's booking platform, the packages were exclusively available first to customers who have subscribed to McDelivery Inbox Treats. To join McDonald's subscription, consumers have to update their McDonald's account preferences to agree to receive marketing materials from the company. Bookings for the staycation packages are now open to non-subscribers until 15 April. 

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