McDonald’s rings up a Korean marketing move this IPL season

Mumbai: To spice up its marketing, McDonald’s India has launched a Limited-Time Offering (LTO) Korean range of burgers, sides, and beverages. The fast-food giant has strategically timed its marketing push with the IPL season, a prime opportunity for food delivery platforms to ramp up promotions for new offerings.

With the IPL season proving to be a high-impact marketing window, McDonald’s India (West & South) is rolling out an aggressive campaign to promote its latest offerings across cricket platforms and food delivery services.

Arvind RP, CMO of McDonald’s India (West & South), emphasised the strategic timing of the launch. “What better moment than watching IPL and ordering your favourite food? That’s exactly why we launched at this time,” he said. 

The brand’s latest menu additions will be prominently featured on McDelivery, Swiggy, and Zomato, with a strong promotional push across digital and cricket-centric platforms.

“Retail media, as we call it, are what we extensively collaborate with to promote our range very aggressively, so these are the platforms you will see a lot of marketing, including their socials,” he said.

McDonald’s is capitalising on the growing Korean food trend, which has gained mainstream popularity in India. “We’ve seen that K-cuisine has become a favourite among Indian consumers, making this the perfect time to introduce our new Korean range,” Arvind added.

The brand has drawn inspiration from K-dramas for its advertising and is partnering with Korean culture influencers to drive engagement. “You’ll see our campaign come to life in the next few days, featuring popular influencers who regularly create content around food reviews,” he revealed.

While McDonald’s may have been late to enter the Korean food trend, its previously successful BTS collaboration has set the stage for this expansion, ensuring that the brand stays relevant and resonates with evolving consumer preferences.

As brands increasingly shift their advertising budgets to digital, McDonald’s India (West & South) is no exception. 

Arvind emphasised the brand’s digital-first strategy, stating, “Over 60% of our marketing spends are on digital, and this has been the case for quite some time.” 

However, with the surge in ad placements across digital platforms, managing ad frequency has become a critical aspect of campaign efficiency.

He highlighted that simply increasing ad frequency does not equate to better results. “We have extensive tracking and measurement systems in place to ensure optimal ad frequency,” he said. “It’s not about bombarding consumers with ads but making sure they see the right message at the right time.”

With the IPL season being a crucial period for food delivery platforms, McDonald’s is strengthening its collaborations with Swiggy and Zomato. “Delivery is a very important channel for us during IPL, and you will see several partnerships come to life with these platforms,” Arvind added.

While McDonald’s continues to introduce new flavors and capitalise on emerging food trends, the brand is also mindful of shifting consumer preferences—particularly the rise of “deinfluencing” movements on social media that advocate for healthier eating habits.

In response, McDonald’s is offering a health-conscious alternative by allowing customers to swap their regular burger buns with millet buns, making their meals significantly healthier. 

Beyond evolving consumer preferences, reducing customer acquisition costs remains a key priority for the brand. Arvind shared a crucial insight: “In my experience, what matters is how relevant the communication is. Once you crack relevance—through first-party data, the right segmentation, and performance marketing—you can dramatically lower costs.”