Asia-Pacific Power List 2024: Tina Chao, McDonald's

Tina Chao 

Chief marketing and digital customer experience officer
McDonald’s
Hong Kong
New member

Tina Chao has a challenging role, with her task to continuously enhance a well-established brand's reputation through locally relevant campaigns, while also elevating marketing through innovation and creative excellence.

In 2023, this was no exception. Building McDonald’s Hong Kong’s brand strategy around two pivotal brand equity pillars—culture and community—Chao led some of the year's most innovative and award-winning campaigns. Centered on feel-good marketing—'Raise your arches,' 'McNuggets art world’ and 'McDonald’s coffee retirement,’ 'McDiploma' and supporting Ronald McDonald House Charities—Chao's efforts enabled McDonald’s sales to hit a record high despite an economic downturn. 

A forward thinker, Chao advocated for continued investment in the brand amid a challenging macro business environment—allocating a percentage of total sales to marketing, witha chunk being directed at branding—and enhanced marketing effectiveness. Bold in her choices, she championed the McCafé 'Retire' campaign, which launched with a bold retirement statement about the brand’s caffeinated offerings, followed by an announcement about an upgrade, creating unprecedented brand buzz on social media that successfully converted into store traffic. Furthermore, she initiated innovative brand storytelling by tapping into nostalgia and Gen Z's passion for the arts, creating the first art exhibition celebrating McNuggets' 40th anniversary, and partnering with Sandbox to create the world’s first McNugget game in the Metaverse.

Chao is a strong advocate for Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC), which supports terminally-ill children and their families. This year’s campaign featured an emotional short film showcasing a real-life account of an RMHC family, highlighting the importance of everyday small moments together. This was followed by a "Big Mac, big heart" campaign, with McDonald’s pledging an HK$1 donation for every Big Mac meal purchased. With 'McDiploma,' she partnered with the Hong Kong Education Bureau and transformed McDonald’s restaurant manager training into an officially accredited degree program.

Chao is the chairman of the Hong Kong Management Association for the digital marketing community. She regularly lectures at Hong Kong universities, participates in industry forums, and has served on the judging panel for the Effies, Kam Fam, and other awards.