This chart-topping J-Pop song is actually an ad by McDonald's ID

McDonald’a Indonesia has collaborated with creative agency Leo Burnett to create an unsuspecting Japanese pop ear worm to promote the relaunch of its Taste of Japan burgers featuring crispy nori and Yakiniku sauce.

The song, Nihon No Freeba, was sung by Indonesian-Japanese singer Ica Zahra as a single without any subtitles and has performed well on the country’s music and Shazam charts, according to a statement by the company.

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The English lyrics of the song describe the flavours of the fast food chain’s new burger and the song quickly gained popularity despite being a jingle for an advertisement.

“[It was] because no one knew that it was an ad. The lyrics were in Japanese, untranslated, and people thought that it was just a nice feelgood J-Pop song!” said Ravi Shanker, chief creative officer of Leo Burnett Indonesia.

“Japanese pop culture is strong in Indonesia. People love Japanese pop songs and put them in their playlists, sing along, even wearing cool t-shirts with Japanese letters—all without understanding what they mean,” he continued.

The campaign aims to highlight that Indonesia consumers may not understand McDonald’s onigiri-looking burgers but will love its taste just like how they love Japanese songs.

“At the end of the day, the campaign is making people love not only the burgers but also the brand,” added Michael Hartono, marketing director at McDonald’s Indonesia.

“Even after people realised that it was an ad, they still continue doing karaoke with it, and the song–I mean the jingle–is now in thousands of Spotify playlists,” he said.

The release and subsequent rise in popularity of Nihon No Fureeba also saw an increase in demand for the burgers as its first-week sales surpassed that of the past three years the burgers were launched, stated the company.

The hit song comes shortly after it was also announced that McDonald’s Indonesia will be stepping into wedding catering, according to its Instagram page. The fast-food giant took to the social media platform to say that it is now offering couples an option to serve items from its McDonald’s menu, including chicken nuggets and burgers. 

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