This Dragon Boat Festival, McDonald’s sent McDonaldland residents, Ronald McDonald, Grimace, Hamburglar and Birdie the Early Bird to Guangzhou for a dragon boat race. After great success last year, the offline Dragon Boat Festival campaign from the American fast-food chain was back due to public demand, and it was bigger and better than ever.
Expanding from last year’s race at Liede, formerly a village, now a subdistrict of Guangzhou, McDonald’s brought the campaign to a “citywalk” trail across villages in Guangzhou and nearby Foshan. Not only was there a riverside dragon boat for your photo ops, but 9 McDonald’s restaurants were decorated into “Dragon Boat flagships” for “checking in” (打卡). After you checked in and bought something from one of the branches, you could get a map leading you to the next 8 destinations. After you collected stamps from each point, you would receive a McDonald’s mini dragon boat.
On 29 and 31 May, Ronald appeared in two of the ports in Guangzhou. You could get a Cantonese palm fan if you caught Ronald at one of these appearances. And of course, McDonald’s brought food to the event. With an exclusive tablecloth and ceramic bowls, you could enjoy your McDonald’s on the riverside.
The Liede dragon boat race is one of the most watched folk activities in Guangzhou. Guangzhou has also hosted McDonald’s since 1993, and with over 300 restaurants, it is one of the cities with the most locations in China. With it being part of everyday Guangzhou life, McDonald’s participation in traditional folk activities further establishes the brand as part of Guangzhou and part of Chinese food culture.