McDonald's Indonesia revives youth nationalism with 'Irama pahlawan' campaign

McDonald’s Indonesia is marking this year’s Heroes Day with a fresh creative push aimed at making history and national values resonate with Gen Z and Gen Alpha. Its new initiative, “Irama pahlawan”, blends pop music with cultural education, supported by the launch of a family-friendly board game designed to spark intergenerational conversations about Indonesia’s national heroes.

The initiative deepens McDonald’s Indonesia’s five-year run of culturally rooted education programmes. Previous efforts have included 3D “Mainan bangun bangsa” toys with scannable QR codes (2021), a women-hero edition for Kartini Day (2022), and the “Pahlawan di sekitar kita” microsite (2022), which allowed users to scan street names or even the McDonald’s “M” logo to instantly access hero-related stories. The brand continued its momentum in 2023 through an AR-driven “Wisata pahlawan” drive-thru experience, followed by a National Hero cosplay activation across Jakarta and McDonald’s outlets in 2024.

“Irama pahlawan” carries lyrics inspired by wisdom shared by Indonesia’s national heroes, packaged in a modern pop arrangement to make it more accessible for young listeners. The brand hopes this creative approach can foster both national pride and a renewed interest in historical role models.

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“Through Irama pahlawan, we want to introduce a new way to emulate the spirit of our heroes’ struggles. Music is a universal medium that can reach everyone and evoke a sense of pride. Moreover, the lyrics carry messages of hard work, unity, and dedication to Indonesia - values that are important to instil in the younger generation,” said Caroline Kurniadjaja, associate director of marketing, McDonald’s Indonesia.

The track was created in collaboration with singer Antea Turk, great-granddaughter of W.R. Soepratman, the composer of Indonesia’s national anthem - an intergenerational partnership that reinforces the campaign’s message about heritage, continuity, and youth creativity.

“As part of the younger generation, I’m happy to be involved in the making of Irama pahlawan and proud to bring my great-grandfather’s creative spirit into the present. I hope this song can inspire young people to learn more about our national heroes, while also expressing their love for Indonesia through music and positive creative work,” said Turk.

Alongside the song, the company is introducing Board Game: Kisah pahlawan, available through the “Paket keluarga seru edisi pahlawan”. The game simplifies hero-based storytelling into five themed challenge zones - Inspirasi, Keberanian, Taktik, Teladan, and Mekdi - each offering trivia cards designed to help families learn together in a playful format.

The growing body of work has caught the attention of Indonesia’s ministry of culture, which commended the company for helping modernise public engagement with national heritage. The ministry said the private sector plays a critical role in ensuring that cultural values remain relevant amid shifts in consumer behaviour.

“The challenge today is how to love and understand history using the language of Gen Alpha and Gen Z. For example, in 2022 with McDonald’s Indonesia, you just scanned a street name and the information appeared immediately. That was an extraordinary idea. This is how we adapt to the times. Gen Alpha and Gen Z have different mindsets and different ways of processing information. And one of the ways is through music - I know the power of music. So use songs as a medium to remind us and to honour our heroes. I truly appreciate this initiative,” said Giring Ganesha Djumaryo, deputy minister of culture.

The launch event, supported by Komunitas Historia Indonesia (KHI) and the National Archives (ANRI), included a children’s colouring competition themed around national heroes. This marks the second collaboration between McDonald’s and KHI, following the Jakarta Heritage Trails walking tour in 2022.

“McDonald’s Indonesia has shown remarkable consistency in delivering heroism-themed educational programmes that prove learning history doesn’t have to be boring. We are pleased to collaborate again, especially as the Irama pahlawan initiative and the Kisah pahlawan board game show that the values of our heroes’ struggles can be brought to life in a fun way - not only through history books, but also in everyday life,” said Asep Kambali, historian and founder of KHI.

The Irama pahlawan music video is now available on McDonald’s Indonesia’s YouTube channel. The Kisah pahlawan board game can be purchased as part of the hero-themed family set, available until January 2026 across McDonald’s restaurants nationwide.

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