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Largest cheering team-world record set by McDonald's
[April
24] BEIJING, China--Chanting the slogan "Wo jiu xihuan Zhongguo
ying," which roughly translates to "I love it when China wins,"
over 1,200 young people selected from a nationwide campaign
danced in unison for five minutes at the National Olympic
Sports Center, setting a world record.
McDonald's,
a worldwide Olympic partner for the Beijing Olympics, mobilized
the world's largest cheering team for the Beijing Olympics
on Wednesday.
(enlarge
photo)
Over one million people have responded to
McDonald's campaign to cheer for the Beijing Olympics since
December 2007. Five were chosen as leading members of the
cheering team.
McDonald's says its cheer is part
of a wider effort to make the brand's restaurants into places
for people inside China to celebrate -- and even gather to
watch -- the Games.
Photo: McDonald's has had nearly 1.3
million people register to join the cheering team in a nationwide
contest.
(enlarge photo)
Many of McDonald's restaurants in China have
televisions. "We are an international company, no doubt about
that," says Ms. Cheung. "What we are doing is being locally
relevant, rather than getting into the arena of playing up
nationalism."
The Chinese see these Games as a serious
affair. "Chinese people have gone through a lot in the past,"
says Phyllis Cheung, director of marketing for McDonald's
in China, quoted by the Wall Street Journal. "They
have very, very strong patriotism. ... Everywhere, you see
people are excited."
Participants cheer for new world record. (enlarge
photo) |
Zhang Haifeng, spokesman for the General
Administration of Sport, speaks at the rally. (enlarge
photo) |
The invited guests launch the ceremony to start the rehearsal.
(enlarge photo)
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The
director of BOCOG's Marketing Department, Yuan Bin, and a
number of famous Chinese athletes, including Gao Min, Hu Jia,
Yang Ling and Mo Huilan, took part in the activity. Yuan said
it is evident that more people are emulating McDonald's efforts
to root for the success of the Olympics.
During the Atlanta Games in 1996, McDonald's
has led a cheering campaign a campaign called "U.S. wins,
you win," in which customers could get free prizes if they
collected game pieces that matched with medals won by American
athletes.
"Nationalism is not a strategy," says Michael
Wood, the China CEO of Publicis Groupe's Leo Burnett ad agency,
which works for both McDonald's and Coke in China. "It is
a shared value, which when executed in the right way by the
right brand, can create a powerful connection with people."
The challenge now for many multinational companies
isn't figuring out how to appear patriotic in China, but what
message to send in the rest of the world.
Publicis media buying agency ZenithOptimedia estimates
that advertisers will spend an extra $3 billion on the Olympics
this year -- of which $900 million will be spent in China.
China is already the fourth-largest market in the world for
Coke, after the U.S., Mexico and Brazil, and it is in the
top 10 for McDonald's.
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