"Mac" or "McDo"? The battle for McDonald's nickname East vs. West
On August 9, McDonald's Japan launched a campaign titled "Is it 'Mac' or 'McDo'? The Taste Showdown!" to decide McDonald's "nickname" through a burger taste-off.
McDonald's is affectionately known by different nicknames depending on the region, such as "Mac" or "McDo." This inaugural campaign aims to settle the long-standing "debate."
The campaign pits the "Mac Army" against the "McDo Army," with each side offering a limited-time burger starting that day. The winner will be decided by the total number of tweets mentioning the product name posted on Twitter by 11:59 PM on August 20. Simply following the official McDonald's account and retweeting the designated tweet counts as one vote. The final results will be announced the following day, August 21st, and the winning burger's "Champion Sale! Coupon" will be distributed. Furthermore, since calling it "McDo" is primarily used in 11 prefectures centered around the Kansai region and by a minority, if the "McDo Army" wins, the company's homepage might undergo a "McDo-ization."
On the 7th, a campaign launch event was held at the company's Tokyo facility, attended by actress Airi Taira, who serves as the "second" for Team Mac in the commercials, and comedian Koji Imada representing Team McDonald's. They announced the competing products: the "Tokyo Roast Beef Burger" and the "Osaka Beef Cutlet Burger."
After tasting the Tokyo burger, which features three slices of roast beef and 100% beef patty sandwiched with a special sauce, Hira remarked with a smile, "It's rich and full of flavor. It lets you enjoy an elegant moment." Meanwhile, Imada praised the Osaka burger, featuring a beef cutlet patty with cheddar cheese: "The rich sauce and crispy coating. It's not overly heavy, just refined." He then energized the crowd by quoting Hira's husband, soccer player Yuto Nagatomo: "This burger is a kind and strong ally for single men like me who don't have an amore!"
In addition to the main competing items, both teams' "support menus" will be available for a limited time, including breakfast items, chicken nugget sauce, and drinks.
Takanori Kono, Senior Manager of the National Marketing Department, expressed his hopes: "While we haven't touched on nicknames before, we want to proactively address this intriguing topic and enjoy it together with our customers. We expect many people to participate." The campaign site ( http://www.mcdonalds.co.jp/campaign/MACvsMAKUDO/ )
features the TV commercial and both teams' support videos.
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