Leo Burnett Manila’s multi-awarded and globally-lauded Unbranded Menu for McDonald’s once again takes the spotlight winning two Lions from the 2023 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
The Silver Lion and Bronze Lion came from the Entertainment Lions for Gaming category – which debuted this year at Cannes to celebrate work that connects people to brands through gameplay.
In addition to the two Lions and two shortlists in the inaugural gaming category, Unbranded Menu was also shortlisted five more times in the Direct, Social & Influencer, and Brand Experience & Activation categories.
This momentous haul makes Leo Burnett the only Philippines agency to bring home Lions from this year’s Festival – never before has any single idea from the country gained this much recognition from Cannes Lions.
Successfully showcasing the ingenuity and passion of Filipino creativity, Unbranded Menu saw McDonald’s collaborating with the country’s biggest gaming influencers to rally the gaming community to screengrab virtual food from any game, brand them McDonald’s and redeem corresponding McDelivery coupons IRL.
Raoul Panes, Chief Creative Officer of Leo Burnett Manila & Publicis Groupe Philippines, emphasized that the campaign stands as an excellent example of work that effectively champions brands and takes them closer to the ‘heart’ of what their target audiences hold most dear – something further validated by the campaign’s wins.
“Winning at Cannes is never an accident. Unbranded Menu started with doodles and Zoom calls, and it evolved into this quirky, clever national activation as our brave clients immediately bought into it. We had a very passionate team working on this around the clock. That we won these Lions for the inaugural gaming category in Cannes makes them extra special. That the work also got recognized in multiple categories makes us even prouder for the agency, the brand, and the country,” he said.
Oliver Rabatan, Chief Marketing Officer for McDonald’s Philippines, also shared his support for this unprecedented collaborative achievement.
“In McDonald’s parlance, this is a feel-good moment for us! Garnering the most recognition for our country at Cannes is historic. I am very proud of the McDonald’s team and our partners at Leo Burnett. We’ve always set our bar of excellence at global levels. Unbranded Menu was an idea that was up there right from the moment we first saw it. Here we are – winners across multiple categories for an iconic brand in the iconic creative show. Indeed, with creativity embedded in the business, great campaigns can come from our corner of the world.”
Margot Torres, Managing Director of McDonald’s Philippines added. “Throughout our digital acceleration journey, we’ve always put the customer at the center. When we do that, as we did with Unbranded Menu and the Gen Z customer, the brand wins, the business wins. Our wins at Cannes Lions affirm this customer obsession.”
The Cannes Lions haul is the latest addition to the local, regional, and global recognition that Unbranded Menu has received since the start of the awards season last February. These include key wins from Spikes Asia, AdFest, Clios, and D&AD.
Credits
Raoul Panes
Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett Group Manila
Carl Urgino
Creative Director, Leo Burnett Group Manila
Brian Lumanog
Associate Creative Director, Leo Burnett Group Manila
Paolo Roa
Creative Team Head, Leo Burnett Group Manila
Chary Chu
Creative Team Head, Leo Burnett Group Manila
Sofia Tawasil
Senior Copywriter, Leo Burnett Group Manila
Stephanie Tan
Senior Art Director, Leo Burnett Group Manila
Adriano Matos
EVP Global Executive Creative Director, Leo Burnett
Natalie Lam
Chief Creative Officer, Publicis Groupe APACMEA
Jason Williams
Head of Creative Excellence, Publicis Groupe APACMEA
Rey Tiempo
Head of Experience and Innovation, Digitas Philippines
Chili Ramon
Senior Copywriter, Leo Burnett Group Manila
Judy Medina
Head of Account Management, Leo Burnett Group Manila
Earl Dorado
Group Account Director, Leo Burnett Group Manila
Sabrina Urbano
Senior Account Executive, Leo Burnett Group Manila
Jarmaine Sotto
Social Media Team Lead, Digitas Philippines
Earl John Diaz
Social Media Manager, Digitas Philippines
Kathleen Ravelo
Social Media Specialist, Digitas Philippines
Hans Cabuyao
Social Analyst, Digitas Philippines
Gianne Nuguit
Analyst, Digitas Philippines
Mikee Lagac
Digital Strategist, Digitas Philippines
Carol Battad
Head of PR, MSL Philippines
Marco Sindiong
PR Director for Corporate, MSL Philippines
Lorenzo Manguiat
PR Director for Consumer, MSL Philippines
Joaquin Espiritu
Influencer Specialist, MSL Philippines
Lendl Fabella
Assoc. PR Director and Media Relations Lead, MSL Philippines
Barbara Messer
Creative Public Relations Lead, Publicis Groupe APACMEA
Ethel Javar
Video Producer, Prodigious Philippines
Margot Torres
Managing Director, McDonald’s Philippines
Oliver Rabatan
Chief Marketing Officer, McDonald’s Philippines
Ashley Santillan
Marketing Director, McDonald’s Philippines
NJ Caballar
Senior Product Manager, McDonald’s Philippines
OMD Philippines
Media Agency
