‘Little Ronald’ follows Chinese home for some red bean pie

See more Lunar/Chinese new year ads and promos

McDonald’s Chinese New Year campaigns are usually overloaded with cheesiness (pun intended): declarations of "capturing the true meaning of CNY" and "being united with the people you love" are used to make emotional inroads to tactical promotions of seasonal products, which can be forgettable.

In the words of Christine Xu, vice president and chief marketing officer at McDonald’s China, the brand is building on the "focus of togetherness and the importance of connecting with the people you love".

This year, it's less cheesy and more cutey. A Ronald McDonald stuffed toy, which doesn't look as creepy as the pull-string doll version in the US from the 1970s, follows Chinese travellers on their long, arduous journeys home for the holiday, hitching rides and all. 

In the end, 'Little Ronald' gets back to his 'home', reuniting with the real Ronald McDonald at a restaurant that has been redecorated for the festive season. As rooted in tradition, the brand grabs the chance to promote two seasonal products: Fortune Burger and Red Bean Pie.   

Ad Nut thinks Campaign should make a plush-toy version of Ad Nut that can follow the editors to Cannes.

CREDITS:

Project Name: You Are My CNY Campaign 2016 你就是我的新年
Creative Agency: TBWA\Shanghai
Client: McDonald’s China
President and Chief Creative Officer: Nils Andersson
Chief Executive Officer: Joanne Lao
McD's APMEA Vice President: Franck Besson
Business Director: Ricky Lim
Group Account Director: Paul Lin
Regional Creative Director: Frank Marinus
Group Creative Director: Darren Zhang
Creative Director: Yvonne Ye
Creative Group Head: Siwen Bao
Chief Strategy Officer: Milo Chao
Planning Director: Heather Zhao
Planning Assistant: Katy Kwan
Head of TV: Ceci Tam
Senior Producer: Vivian Wu
Director: David Wang
Production Company: Tribe
In-store Advertising Agency: ARC
Media Agency: OMD
Category/Exposure: TV, Print, OOH, and Digital
Territories: Mainland China