MAM
McDonald’s new campaign, a blast from the past
MUMBAI: McDonald’s mein hai kuch baat! (There’s something in McDonald’s!) While, last year it was the ‘What your bahana is?’ campaign rolled out by the fast food giant, this year a new campaign trots its old proposition of “Rs 20 Happy Price menu”.
While, we savoured multiple Vivek Oberois donning the now classic 70s garb, this one too can be touted as a ‘blast from the past’ but with a difference.
Mughal-e-Azam’s “Salim” propagates McDonald’s Happy Price menu
McDonald’s ad agency Leo Burnett has dished out five different commercials with five Bollywood icon look-alikes – those of Raj Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna, Dev Anand, Sanjeev Kumar and Dilip Kumar. As of now, two commercials featuring Dev Anand and Dilip Kumar are on air. The others will be rolled out in a phase. The films have been shot by Code Red’s Gajraj Rao and Subrata.
And that’s not it. McDonald’s will splash the town red with an extensive outdoor, print and radio campaign apart from the on-ground activities to promote the economical Happy Price menu. The campaign is targetted at the youth while making it clear to those who suffer from a preconceived notion that McDonald’s is an expensive eating joint.
Purane zamane ki car does city rounds
The Premise
The commercial, shot at one of the McDonald’s outlet, shows a ‘black and white’ Dev Anand / Dilip Kumar entering the outlet and enquiring about McDonald’s burgers, which were available at a price point from their hey days. This bores reference to the Happy Price menu which is available at Rs 20. Wittily done, the ad drives home the point that McDonald’s is a reasonably priced food joint.
Agency speak:
Creative team: Executive creative director (Mumbai and Delhi) Agnello Dias, creative director Harshad Rajadhyaksha, copywriter Kaushik Mitra, Gopal MS and Sadanand Narverkar.
Account management team: Shrikant Sarathy, Partha Sarathi Mandal, Rameet Singh Arora and Manita Panjwani.
Sarathy reveals, “Once the client was as excited about the idea as we were at Burnett, we asked for help in short listing the heroes we were going to feature. Soon everyone got involved enthusiastically, client and agency, and we collectively chose a cast of ever green actors.”
Arora on the other hand exclaims, “The idea was to reinvent the Rs 20 proposition and instead of carrying on last year’s campaign, we decided to come up with new ads and make the proposition come alive.”
Dev saab explains the menu to a passerby
McDonald’s India vice president (Western region) Smita Jatia says, “Ideas normally come from the product. But this one emerged from the price ponit of the product. The best thing about this idea is that it cuts across generations. I can easily see a 50 year old enjoying these commercials as much as an 18 year old.”
The on-ground activity was undertaken by Crackerjacks, wherein there were morchas along with the look-alikes skirted the cities of Mumbai, Bangalore with a couple of cities in Gujarat. Crackerjacks’ Gayatri Gogate says, “It is always a challenge to execute a creative idea in a format, in which it was not originated. But, I think we are bang on. We are not just catching people’s attention but doing justice to the original idea.”
A group of kids propagate the ‘purane jamana’ price of McDonald’s
Speaking on the execution of the ad, Code Red director Gajraj Rao says, “There are ad films and there are ad films. But here was an idea that I knew would immediately catch on to the imagination of the people. Between Subrata and me, we had to bend schedules, re-watch a lot of classics from the point of view of work, screen test over 40 actors, spend many sleepless nights chalking out plans but in the end, we had a lot of fun doing these films. And when you know people will love what you do, it’s every bit the extra effort you put in.”
The agency has consciously refrained from slapstick comedy and has stuck to the real element. Interestingly, the actors’ look-alikes in the commercial are shown in black and white against the colourful world of McDonald’s and is a good blend of two different eras.
Burnett’s Rajadhyaksha is of the opinion that in order to break the clutter, creatives must reinvent itself. Through the new campaign, the agency expects new footfalls at McDonalds’ outlets since the ‘affordable’ factor is stressed on.
The other commercials featuring look-alikes of Raj Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna and Sanjeev Kumar will be on air soon coupled with the outdoor, radio, press and cinema ads. While McDonald’s is quite bullish this year, the new promotional, it seems, will only provide a boost to its sales.
Brands
33 per cent of women believe the salary scale is rigged: Naukri report
Voices @ Work study finds rising calls for equal pay audits and lingering bias
MUMBAI: Progress may be visible in India’s workplaces, but many women still feel the need to tread carefully. A new report by Naukri reveals that one in two women hesitate to disclose marriage or maternity plans during job interviews, worried that such information could influence hiring decisions.
The findings come from the second edition of Naukri’s annual Voices @ Work International Women’s Day report, titled “What Women Professionals Want.” Drawing insights from more than 50,000 women across over 50 industries, the survey sheds light on evolving workplace aspirations alongside the biases that continue to hold women back.
One of the report’s most striking insights is the growing demand for equal pay audits. The share of women calling for regular pay parity checks has climbed to 27 per cent this year, up from 19 per cent a year ago. The demand now stands alongside menstrual leave as the most sought after workplace policy.
Interestingly, the call for pay transparency grows louder higher up the income ladder. Nearly half of women earning between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 1 crore annually say equal pay audits are a priority, suggesting that pay gaps become more visible as women move up the career ladder.
At the same time, confidence and ambition appear to be rising. About 83 per cent of women say they feel encouraged to pursue leadership roles, a significant jump from 66 per cent last year. Cities in southern India appear particularly supportive, with Hyderabad leading the way as 86 per cent of respondents there reported encouragement to step into leadership positions. The education sector recorded the highest sense of encouragement at 87 per cent.
Yet the report also highlights a growing trust deficit around pay equity. Nearly one in three women, or 33 per cent, say they do not believe men and women are paid equally at their workplace. That figure has risen from 25 per cent last year, pointing to widening perceptions of disparity as careers progress.
Bias in hiring and promotions continues to be the biggest hurdle. About 42 per cent of respondents say workplace bias is the main challenge for women from diverse backgrounds. The concern is consistent across major metros, with Chennai and Delhi NCR reporting similar levels.
Reluctance to discuss personal milestones during hiring processes is also widespread. While 34 per cent overall said they hesitate to share marriage or maternity plans in interviews, the anxiety increases with experience. Among professionals with 10 to 15 years of work experience, the figure rises to 40 per cent.
Info Edge group CMO Sumeet Singh, said the data reflects both progress and unfinished work. “Behind every data point in this report is a woman who is ambitious. The fact that 83 per cent feel encouraged to lead is something to celebrate. However, the fact that one in two still hide their marriage or maternity plans in interviews tells us the work is far from done. As India’s leading career platform, it felt not just important but necessary for us to shine a light on these gaps through the second edition of our report,” he said.
The report suggests that while ambition among women professionals is growing, structural changes around pay transparency, fair hiring and supportive policies will be key if workplaces hope to keep pace.
