McDonald's SG uses wayang kulit to recount interracial love story in Ramadan film

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McDonald's Singapore has launched a Ramadan campaign told in the form of wayang kulit, a traditional form of shadow puppet play. Titled "Ramadan: My Happy Tale", the campaign features a short film about an interracial couple, Budi and Peony, who bonded through their shared interest in food.

The film portrays recounts of the couple's dates at McDonald's, to how the couple received mixed reactions for dating someone of another race. The film also shared how Peony, who was not a Muslim, felt lonely when following Ramadan’s rituals alone in her home and how Budi would buy her breakfast from McDonald's during Ramadan.

The 12 characters and props used in the story were made-to-order. Following wayang kulit’s traditional methods, each leather puppet was cut, punctured and painted entirely by hand, McDonald's explained

Drina Chee, head of marketing and digital customer experience, McDonald's Singapore said that as a brand that brings people together, it is delighted to celebrate the spirit of Ramadan with an inspiring story of love and inclusivity. “In bringing this year’s 'Ramadan: My Happy Tale' to everyone, it’s been a real privilege to be let into our customers Peony and Budi’s world as they share their feelings as an inter-racial couple. Just as our food transcends cultures across the world, we hope their story will remind us all that love can equally transcend our differences,” she added.

At the time of writing, the video has amassed over 344,000 views on YouTube. Meanwhile, the ad garnered over 14,000 and over 5,000 views on Facebook and Instagram respectively. MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to McDonald's for additional information

Meanwhile, this year's Lunar New Year saw McDonald's US partner with fashion designer Humberto Leon to celebrate the Lunar New Year in the metaverse. Titled “McDonald’s Hall of Zodiacs: 2022 Lunar New Year by Humberto Leon", the virtual gallery featured zodiac animals designed by Leon, who is also co-founder of fashion brand Opening Ceremony. Fans could enter the exhibit on virtual reality social platforms, AltspaceVR and Spatial. In the exhibit, fans could also receive horoscope readings that give foresight into their year ahead, based on birth year and zodiac animal.

Additionally, fengshui expert and content creator Cliff Tan designed the interior to give the space balanced energy. As part of the campaign, McDonald’s and Leon also produced a TV commercial that featured Leon's reflections on Lunar New Year traditions, while also speaking to his diverse identity. The commercial was aired across the US on Asian news channels in English, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese.

Separately, McDonald's registered 10 trademarks in the virtual space, doubling down on its strategy to venture into the metaverse. According to the application filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office in February, McDonald's will be providing downloadable multimedia files for its artwork audio, video files, and NFTs. The company's plans to venture into the metaverse were first made known on 9 February, after trademark lawyer, Josh Gerben tweeted images of McDonald's trademark applications. The companyh's filing on 4 February indicated it plans to "operate a virtual restaurant featuring actual and virtual goods". It also included plans of "operating a virtual restaurant online, featuring home delivery".

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