Ronald McDonald Benches Pop up in Hong Kong for McDonald’s 50th Anniversary

The beloved Ronald McDonald bench is popping up in 50 locations all over Hong Kong, in a campaign commemorating 50 years of McDonald’s in the city. The stunt, created with agency partner DDB Group Hong Kong, kicks off a year-long celebration and leverages McDonald’s role in the cherished memories of Hong Kong people, uniting both young and old in a shared celebration of the brand’s significance in Hong Kong. 

The Ronald McDonald bench is iconic the world over, a symbol of the fond familiarity McDonald’s holds in the hearts of its customers. The 50-year anniversary celebrations start with a treasure hunt for the 50 Ronald McDonald benches. The hunt culminates online across social media and the McDonald’s app, where QR codes at each bench register the find and unlock fun facts and prizes from a pool of over 500,000 giveaways, ranging from menu items to downloadable digital assets. A Grand Prize, of a free Big Mac meal every day for a year, will go to the first 50 people to collect all 50 stamps. 

A video featuring local celebrities associated with the brand in the early '90s, Hong Kong rap duo, Softhard, placing benches in iconic locations across Hong Kong, serves as an engaging invitation for Hong Kong to participate in the treasure hunt game. Eight shorter videos will follow, released daily over the first week of the year, highlighting the significance of each of these locations in McDonald’s history, and promoting a special value menu item offer for customers that day. 

Tina Chao, chief marketing and digital experience officer, said, “We are so excited to be celebrating 50 years in Hong Kong in a way that we hope will provide both some comfort of the past and optimism for the future. The fun treasure hunt will be a great way to kickstart our celebration. I’m really looking forward to everyone experiencing what we have planned for further festivities; it’s going to be a fantastic year!”

Andreas Krasser, CEO at DDB Group Hong Kong, commented on the campaign, “This is a very important milestone for one of Hong Kong’s most beloved brands and we wanted to do something that really connected emotionally with customers. We know from social listening that for many Hong Kongers, the Ronald McDonald bench is somewhat like a time machine, allowing them to walk down memory lane. So, it was a no-brainer to start the 50th anniversary celebration with the bench.”

The anniversary celebrations will also see the return of McDonald’s characters, including Grimace, Birdie and Hamburgler, fondly remembered from campaigns of the past, appearing in scale across the city on major outdoor media. A special Star Ferry has even been wrapped with the iconic campaign images, and all its passengers rode for free for on the campaign launch day. 

The Ronald McDonald bench treasure hunt and anniversary launch campaign will continue through to February 5th across outdoor, tvc, print, instore, social and online media, and a string of campaigns will follow throughout the year to continue celebrations for this momentous milestone for the brand.