McDonald’s, Weber Shandwick win big at MEPRA
2 gold and 3 bronze awards
KUWAIT CITY, Dec 12: Once again, the creative partnership between McDonald’s and Weber Shandwick Kuwait has resulted in award-winning, viral campaigns. “World Cup DriveThru Experience” and “Ramadan Memories Made Together”, two innovative campaigns produced earlier this year, recently won big at the 2018 Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA) Awards, nabbing two Gold and three Bronze honors at the 10th edition of the annual communications awards, during a ceremony which was held in Dubai.
The “World Cup Drive-Thru Experience” campaign kicked off the awards ceremony with the very first win of the evening, grabbing the Bronze Award for “Best Sports & Entertainment Campaign”, before winning Gold for “Best Use of Sponsorship”. On the other hand, the “Ramadan Memories Made Together” campaign won Bronze for “Best Corporate Reputation Campaign”. In the “Best in Kuwait” category, “World Cup Drive-Thru Experience” walked away with the Gold, whilst “Ramadan Memories Made Together” was honored with a Bronze.
“World Cup Drive-Thru Experience” was a creative activation that delivered a one-of-kind experience for football fans in celebration of the FIFA World Cup 2018 – bringing the World Cup atmosphere right to McDonald’s with the help of legendary sports commentator RaoufKhleif. The campaign became a viral sensation, with an estimated reach of 20 million people. Going down a more emotional route, “Ramadan Memories Made Together” eschewed traditional tactics to create a standout activation: bringing together families for a special one-night Ramadan celebration.
This marks the second consecutive year that McDonald’s and Weber Shandwick have been honored for their creative campaigns at MEPRA. In the 2017 ceremony, the creative social experiment campaign, “Beef Nation”, walked away with the top honor in the “Crisis Communications” category, in addition to being named “Best in Kuwait”.
Speaking about the award wins, SherifCoutry, Senior Marketing Director at McDonald’s Kuwait, said: “These five awards are a true testament to our continued efforts to be creative and original in every way, especially with our communications. Along with our agency partners, we work to deliver our messages in an innovative, stand-out way that truly resonates with the audience. This year, we produced two excellent campaigns that we are extremely proud of, and it is incredible to see them recognized on a regional level.”
On his part, Faisal Khazal, Associate Director at Weber Shandwick Kuwait said: “We have enjoyed a long and mutually fruitful partnership with McDonald’s Kuwait for more than a decade now, and we are thrilled to see this creative collaboration continue to deliver outstanding campaigns year on year. We are humbled by the trust that McDonald’s has placed in us, which has allowed us to look beyond the norm and challenge conventions to produce ideas that really get people talking and make McDonald’s the subject of conversations.”
Considered to be the leading public relations awards program in the region, the MEPRA awards are an annual celebration of creativity and innovation in the communications industry. Now in their tenth year, the awards recognize achievements from across a range of disciplines and sectors.