THE CHALLENGE

McDonald's Malaysia was in dire need to fill up their vacant positions in 2022, with a low hiring rate and high turnover rate caused by fragmented recruitment processes. Despite McDonald's generous crew benefits, it battles an unglamorous perception, often seen as a stop-gap gig rather than a long-term career. But what Malaysia's youths didn't know is that working at McDonald's is cooler than they thought; they just needed some convincing.

CONSUMER INSIGHTS

Our campaign targeted Malaysian Gen Zs aged 16 to 25, with attention spans as quick as their swipes. Their penchant for thumb-stopping material not only fuels their entertainment but also sways their monumental choices. They are the generation that can be job-hunting and chuckling at cat videos at the same time, a testament to their multitasking magic. Culturally, they're inspired by movies and dramas that set their creative gears whirring, hence, we anticipated that presenting the job-seeking journey in an entertaining manner would align with their preferences and help influence their decisions.

THE IDEA

Our “a-ha” moment sprang from the contrast between Gen Z's love affair with bite-sized content and the lack of that dopamine hit in their job search. So, in order to completely overhaul McDonald's employer branding and the recruitment process to appeal to Gen Zs, opted for a social-led recruitment campaign to attract and educate them, turning content obsession into a catalyst for career growth. A reimagined application process was also adopted to ease their job hunt.

THE EXECUTION

The 9-episode short drama series, 'Kau Sundaeku,' (which translates to “You're My Sundae”) was the cornerstone of our creative execution. It tells a light-hearted story between three new McDonald's crew members who found themselves a career, a home, and perhaps even love in McDonald's. While the drama format increased engagement potential and kept them hooked with weekly episodes, the goal was to educate Malaysian youths on the benefits of working with McDonald's.

At each episode's conclusion, we steered interested candidates to reach out via WhatsApp with a single tap. This platform was selected deliberately, as Gen Zs prefer texting, valuing casual discourse over formalities. In contrast to the boring long forms candidates had to fill out on a job site before the campaign, WhatsApp allowed quick, casual conversations that allowed the brand to collect candidates' information quickly, and candidates to feel less intimidated by the experience.

We also invited Malaysian influencers such as Afiq Hakim, Ubai Mz, Tata Wan Qian, and Pudds who made cameo appearances throughout the series, amplifying our message and advocating for us. The series finale got its grand premiere at a watch party with the main talents and influencers, resonating with their clout.

THE RESULTS

The diligent effort put into this campaign led to a remarkably successful outcome, surpassing our initial expectations.

• We hit our target in just six months for a one year campaign
• Generated 5x more leads
• Doubled conversion rates
• Accomplished a whopping 110% hiring rate

The campaign even had to be stopped because McDonald's had hired more crew than they initially needed in only half the time. A stark contrast to the fact that before the campaign ran, McDonald's had never, in 30 years, achieved a 100% hiring rate.

THE AWARDS

Alongside this large achievement for our clients, we were able to take home FIVE AWARDS with the Effies Awards 2023, Kancil Awards 2023 and The Ham Report, showing us the power of storytelling and the power of the Gen-Z social treatment!

With our submission entitled: McDonald's Social-Led Recruitment Campaign; This Time It's Personnel, we won: