McDonald's woos customers in filmi <i>andaaz</i>

If you bump into a black-and-white Dilip Kumar or Dev Anand at the techno colour McDonald's outlet, don't rush to autograph them. They are probably there to snack on goodies in the McDonald's Happy Price Menu. After all, each item in the Happy Price costs at an easy-on-the-pocket Rs 20, just as 'affordable' it used to be in the good ol' days.

Fast food chain McDonald's has unleashed a national multimedia campaign 'Hamara Zamana' that uses doubles of filmstars of yesteryears – Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Raj Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna and Sanjeev Kumar – to push the affordability of food items in the Happy Price Menu. (Comment on this ad)

The Happy Price Menu (Veg Surprise, McAloo Tikki Burger, Chicken McGrill, Small Soft Serve Sundae, Pizza McPuff, Ice Tea and Cold Coffee) was introduced in mid-April 2004, with the simple objective of getting more customers in the fold.

The fact of the matter is 'informal eating out' in India is still considerably low compared to parts of South East Asia. And, most Indians shy away from McDonald's because of the pricing.

Therefore, the first attempt to invite people to try McDonald's Happy Price Menu was the ‘What your Bahana is?’ campaign. The campaign was about the crazy lengths people would go to, to eat at McDonald’s. This got the Happy Price Menu off to a start with “a significant increase in footfalls and sales”, claim marketing executives at McDonald's.

Now in 2005, the bigger challenge for the food chain is how to keep the Happy Price Menu offering fresh in the minds of consumers. “Most importantly, we knew that we had set a big precedent in 2004, which has to be emulated now. Being top of mind with entertaining communication was hugely important,” explains Sanjeev Katyal, head, marketing, McDonald’s North India.

The company is leaving no stone unturned to promote the Happy Price Menu this year. The campaign straddles outdoor, print, radio, on-ground activities, and, of course, TV. At the moment, two films featuring Dev Anand and Dilip Kumar doubles are on air – inviting prospective customers to snack on the McSnacks in their inimitable style.

Three more are in the offing. The films have been shot by Code Red's Gajraj Rao and Subrata.

With large amount of monies being spent, there is no doubt that the company is expecting a spurt in sales.

So how do these actor-doubles, at the communication level, serve to double McDonald's sales? Affordability is seen as a luxury of the past. And thanks to the favourite dialogue of family elders: “Hamare zamane mein…” (in our times), affordability for the current generation sounds like is an anachronism, an out-of-time experience, a distanced reality. But the very presence of these actors in our times, who come from an era where things were generally inexpensive, attempts to once again change that price perception.

Katyal explains, “Our insight was based on one simple thing that we all use virtually everyday. When people discuss prices, they invariably say, “During our time, things were so much cheaper. That became our campaign idea. So affordable, it seems like a price from the past.”

Since affordable pricing was seen as a relic of the past, the team hit upon the idea of bringing back the concept of affordability by evoking memorable images from the past itself.

“To drive home the point of affordability, we turned to the most recognisable symbols from the past. And, some of the most recognisable are old-time Bollywood idols – Dev Anand, Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor and the like. Even today, they’re immediately recognized as timeless titans. That's why our scripts featured these stars walking into McDonald’s and asking for products at ‘hamare zamane ke daam’ (the prices of our times),” says Katyal.

And just to underscore the past- present contrast, characters appear in black and white in colourful contemporary setting.

Last year, the sales of McAloo Tikki Burger and Chicken McGrill, when prices were lowered to Rs 20 as part of the Happy Price Menu, went up by 300 per cent. In fact, as of now, McAloo Tikki Burger is the biggest blockbuster from McDonald's. So let's see whether McAloo Tikki holds on its numero uno position or gets overtaken.

© 2005 agencyfaqs!