The main goal of this campaign was to raise awareness of McDonald's new McValue platform while boosting store visits and sales by emphasizing the menu's advantages. To stand out among quick-service restaurants (QSR), particularly for value menus, McDonald's Asian American campaign capitalized on the culturally significant Lunar New Year (LNY) holiday.
We partnered with various digital platforms and adopted an omnichannel strategy that introduced innovative and culturally relevant approaches.
A central element of this campaign was introducing McValue through a reimagined red envelope—a traditional symbol representing good luck and prosperity in addition to value that is often gifted with money during LNY—across multiple digital platforms. The branded red envelope concept was creatively utilized in sponsored posts, interactive online and CTV skins, and digital pop-ups aimed at Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Pan Asian audiences that celebrate the Lunar New Year.
One of the many value-oriented strategies featuring the red envelope included removing paywalls and providing an interactive playable ad unit for in-game rewards. These approaches strengthened McDonald's connection with the Asian American audience during the cultural celebration, wishing them good fortune, health, and happiness in addition to reinforcing the brand's promise of offering more with McValue.
We aimed to introduce the new McValue platform at the beginning of the year in a unique way while also connecting culturally with Asian American consumers. The concept of a branded McDonald's red envelope was vital in transforming a traditional cultural practice into a modern digital initiative with integration from a brand. This presented an ideal opportunity since the Lunar New Year coincided with the McValue campaign flight period. The core idea is that through McValue, McDonald's will offer consumers savings throughout the year, aligning with the tradition of sharing blessings and providing value when exchanging red envelopes with others. By focusing on the red envelope theme, we created an omnichannel approach that established a shared cultural connection among our audience.
We brought the red envelope big idea to life through an omnichannel integrated media approach. By collaborating with six key partners, our strategy engages Asian American consumers across CTV, OLV, Social Media, Display, and Gaming touchpoints, ensuring McValue is seamlessly integrated into their Lunar New Year celebrations and shopping experiences.
- iQIYI, a top streaming video platform for Chinese Americans: We hosted a McValue sponsored page featuring red-envelope-themed pop-ups and exclusive ad-free VIP access, reinforcing that McValue offers more than expected.
- Dealmoon, a leading shopping community where Chinese Americans actively look for deals: We took over the major LNY shopping moments with McValue-sponsored posts and curated LNY deals, extending engagement through social platforms such as RedNote and WeChat for cultural relevance.
- Admazing, an expert in gaming environment: We produced a gamified playable unit educating consumers about the McValue offers in a playful quiz format, ending with a festive animated red envelope pop-up to deliver McValue messaging.
- Equativ, a leading programmatic partner in the industry: We created interactive CTV and OLV skins featuring red envelopes in English, Mandarin, Korean, and Vietnamese copies, bringing McValue to life on premium video platforms.
- PayPal, a money transfer platform widely used among Asian Americans during LNY: We launched a first-to-market ad placement leveraging a red envelope-themed banner within PayPal, meeting consumers as they send LNY money gifts, tying McValue to smart financial decisions.
- Yamibuy, one of the largest Asian online supermarkets in the U.S.: We intercept convenience-focused and budget-cautious food shoppers with McValue deals through a red envelope-shaped pop-up ad on Yamibuy's app and website, reinforcing savings during peak LNY shopping period.
Our omnichannel red envelope strategy effectively raised awareness of McDonald’s McValue platform, generating a total of 37.8 million impressions.
By tapping into the culturally significant tradition of red envelopes during Lunar New Year, the campaign resonated deeply with Asian American audiences. It delivered strong business results, achieving a 33.6% overall behavioral lift, with exceptional performance among Pan Asian (+49.1%), Korean (+33.4%), and Vietnamese (+33.2%) segments.
Red-envelope-themed creative outperformed standard formats across all major channels. Engagement metrics saw significant increases: +479.4% in display CTR, +347.2% in gaming CTR, and +75.1% in CTV interactive rate.
The campaign’s success is attributed to effective media planning, cultural insights, and strategic partnerships with platforms trusted by the Asian American community. By linking a meaningful tradition with everyday value, McDonald’s turned McValue into more than just a price point—it became part of a celebratory and culturally resonant experience.
