McDonald’s HK and DDB Group HK shine bright at MARKies Awards HK 2025

McDonald’s Hong Kong's "50 Benches" campaign and DDB Group Hong Kong have won big at MARKies Awards 2025 and were crowned Best of Show - Campaign and Best of Show - Agency respectively. 

Serving as a platform for agencies in Hong Kong to showcase their exceptional achievements, this year’s MARKies Awards gathered industry experts at the JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong on 23 May to compete for recognition of their outstanding work. All submissions were carefully assessed by a distinguished panel of 32 professionals.

See the full list of winners here.

See the full jury here.

McDonald’s Hong Kong’s "50 Benches” campaign took home six trophies, including five golds and one silver, successfully winning the hearts of the judging panel.

Done in collaboration with creative agency DDB Group Hong Kong and media agency OMD Hong Kong, the campaign ran from 1 October 2024 to 4 February 2025. This initiative coincided with the 50th anniversary of McDonald’s Hong Kong, as the brand aimed to celebrate 50 years of shared memories with Hongkongers across generations.

To achieve this, the campaign identified a creative device reflecting Hongkongers’ relationship with McDonald’s: the iconic Ronald McDonald bench. As the brand evolved, these classic benches gradually disappeared from the city. When netizens discovered the last Ronald McDonald bench at the Shek Wai Kok store, it sparked a social media sensation, with people flocking to take selfies and petitioning for McDonald’s to preserve it.

Recognising that the Ronald McDonald bench had always been a powerful nostalgic device and that almost everyone had a photo with the bench, the campaign turned this iconic bench into a time machine to the past. 

The campaign began by strategically placing 50 McDonald’s benches in 50 iconic locations throughout the city for everyone to sit on and take photos. Each location was chosen to tell a unique story about the brand’s history and its relationship with Hong Kong. For example, the Star Ferry location recalled a 1976 stunt for the first McDonald's store across the harbour, while the Tsim Sha Tsui store marked the opening of the brandfirst 24-hour outlet in Hong Kong. The benches acted as time machines, evoking memories spanning 50 years for Hongkongers throughout the city.

The campaign then expanded into an interactive gaming experience, inviting Hongkongers to participate in a treasure hunt down memory lane, encouraging them to find each bench scattered throughout the city.

By scanning the QR code on each bench using the McDonald’s app, participants could collect a stamp unique to that location, unlocking fun facts about the brand’s relationship with the city. Collecting all 50 stamps comes with a chance to win prizes from a pool of over 500,000 giveaways. This experience was designed to deepen the emotional connection between McDonald's and its customers, allowing them to share their stories and reminisce about their favourite moments spent at its restaurants.

Behind every successful campaign, agencies play a significant role in crafting and shaping the storytelling concept. This time, DDB Group Hong Kong, the Best of Show – Agency winner, secured nine gold awards, three silver awards, and one bronze award.

In addition to the “50 Benches” campaign, DDB Group Hong Kong executed several thought-provoking initiatives, including the “MaccyLeaks” and “Shake N Dip” campaigns for McDonald’s Hong Kong, as well as the “Take Sleep Seriously” (瞓覺事 大健事) campaign for Mannings Hong Kong. These campaigns impressed the judges with their emphasis on creative ideas and effective implementation.

The “Take sleep seriously” campaign, created in collaboration with media agency OMD Hong Kong for Mannings Hong Kong, caught the judges' attention with its clever use of digital solutions. Running from 27 September to 31 October last year, the campaign targeted a mass audience aged 25 to 64.

This arose as sleep quality was a top concern for Hong Kong citizens, especially among those aged 25 to 44, with over 75% affected in the past decade, according to an Ipsos survey. Recognising the importance of health and wellness, the campaign aimed to position Mannings as a trusted curator of health and beauty, encouraging consumers to embrace better health.

The campaign featured the brand’s signature character, Mannings Cat, who guided consumers through a landscape of sleep-enhancing products and health services. This created a cohesive and impactful narrative that reaffirms Mannings’ commitment to health and wellness while fostering a sense of ownership in the sleep and relaxation space.

To amplify this theme, the campaign leveraged digital platforms for effective targeting and engagement, elevating the conversation around quality sleep to inspire consumer interest. During the day, Google Display and Video 360 executed a comprehensive programmatic ad campaign with data-driven targeting to enhance click-through rate (CTR) and view-through rate (VTR), while increasing reach and frequency. It also collaborated with the local creator World Serious Organisation to produce authentic content for Instagram.

At night, a mix of YouTube ad formats was launched to enhance target reach and drive quality views. Bite-sized, non-skippable multi-video ads were shown before bedtime, along with a 100% SOV Masthead to maximise exposure with “prep for sleep” messages. Thematic and episodic videos using TrueView Instream targeted high-intent audiences to boost VTR.

This year’s entries showcased exceptional creativity and innovative marketing professionals who pushed boundaries. MARKETING-INTERACTIVE would like to thank the esteemed judges for their time in reviewing over 940 submissions. We also congratulate all the finalists for their remarkable success. We believe this year's awards have paved the way for exciting initiatives in the industry for years to come.

Join us this coming 17 June for #Content360 Hong Kong, an insightful one-day event centered around responsible AI, creativity VS influencers, Xiaohongshu and more. Let's dive into the art of curating content with creativity, critical thinking and confidence!

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