McDonald’s is ramping up its efforts to appeal to a younger generation of consumers and diversify its customer base by featuring a variety of digital and physical components commemorating the Lunar New Year.
The fastfood chain giant announced a partnership with Chinese YouTuber Karen X Cheng, whose videos have garnered more than 500 million views. The tie-up will see McDonald’s using Cheng’s videos to promote its restaurants and products.
Cheng, a digital storyteller and entrepreneur, has been tapped by the fastfood company to produce a variety of digital and physical components commemorating the event and showing support for the Asian-American and Pacific Islander community.
The campaign includes a commercial using artificial intelligence, a metaverse experience, and an augmented reality filter with artwork by Cheng.
Party In The Metaverse: McDonald’s Brings AI For Lunar New Year
McDonald’s is expected to bring more than just food to life. The company’s goal is to share the holidays with everyone, regardless of where they live.
In a statement, Elizabeth Campbell, McDonald’s senior director for Cultural Engagement Strategy, said:
“Our collaboration with Karen X Cheng offers new, tech-forward ways to experience the Year of the Rabbit while also honoring the legacy of the holiday and uplifting the AAPI community.”
The company has made a range of metaverse experiences available to users who want to explore the virtual world of McDonald’s.
There are cooking competitions, zoos, games and more. You can even customize your own 3D avatar with a range of options from hairstyles to clothing choices.
Campbell added:
“We know our fans live at the intersection of innovation and culture and that’s where McDonald’s needs to meet them.”
On January 25, Spatial will host a virtual Lunar New Year celebration with an evening with Cheng (in avatar form). On February 2, the company will also host dance parties as part of their campaign to expand into the metaverse.
The campaign is said to be one of the first to use NeRF (neural radiance fields) technology, which was developed by the company and involves the use of artificial intelligence to render a 3D scene based on Cheng’s drawings.
By scanning a QR code displayed on the screen, viewers can use the featured piece of art as an augmented reality filter in their own videos and games.
McDonald’s Lunar New Year ad was produced by IW Group. Eastern and Southeast Asian countries celebrate the Lunar New Year because it marks the beginning of the lunar calendar.
On January 22, the Lunar New Year will begin, ushering in the Year of the Rabbit.
McDonald’s has around 38,000 outlets around the world that serve approximately 68 million customers in 118 countries each day.
The company has efficiently transformed into the most popular family restaurant, appealing to both children and adults, and developed as the market leader among fast service restaurants.
-Featured image: Metaverse Post