McDonald's Holds Sixth Annual Creative Directors' Forum, Celebrates 15 Lion Wins at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity

Unique Gathering of Global Agencies Inspires New Ideas, Drives Collaboration


CANNES, FRANCE--(Marketwire - Jun 27, 2012) - McDonald's hosted its sixth annual Creative Directors' Forum this week, rallying the creative minds of agency partners around the globe as it celebrated 15 Lion wins at the 59th Annual Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Demonstrating McDonald's commitment to creativity in marketing, the Creative Directors Forum inspires new ideas and encourages global dialogue. 2012's Forum was the advertiser's most widely attended yet. Creative talents from partner agencies representing 20 countries across the globe ideated new ways to keep McDonald's nearly 10-year ad campaign, "i'm lovin' it," fresh and relevant.

"Our strong performance at Cannes and the Effies is the result of trusting partnerships between our marketing and agency leaders around the world. The vitality of 'i'm lovin' it' continues to give us a loud global voice with relevant local accents," said Dean Barrett, Global Marketing Officer, McDonald's Corporation.

"The Creative Directors' Forum is a unique opportunity to bring together our best and brightest creative minds in pursuit of world-class work," said Marlena Peleo-Lazar, Chief Creative Officer, Vice President, McDonald's Corporation. "And there's no better place to hold this event than in Cannes, the world's biggest creative stage." 

At the Cannes Lions Awards ceremonies this week, McDonald's won 15 Lions and the honor of being named the world's most effective brand by the 2012 Effie Effectiveness Index for the second year in a row. Lion wins included Gold, Silver and Bronze in the Press, Media, Mobile, Outdoor, and Promo categories.

The Cannes Festival of Creativity is the most prestigious international advertising and creativity showcase, drawing more than 24,000 entries from all over the world. View all the winners and the nominees of Cannes Lions Awards here: http://www.canneslions.com/work.

Complete list of McDonald's Lion wins:

Media 
Silver - Best Use of Outdoor -- Hamburger Timetable -- DDB Warsaw (Poland)
Silver - Retail and E-Commerce, Including Restaurants -- Hamburger Timetable -- DDB Warsaw (Poland)
Bronze - Best Use of Print -- Smelling Like Coffee -- OMD Chile Santiago (Chile)
Bronze - Best Localised Campaign -- Koreans' Big Mac Song! -- Starcom Mediavest Group Seoul (South Korea)
Bronze - Best Use of Mobile Devices -- McDonald's Extended Hours -- OMD UK London (United Kingdom)
Bronze - Best Use of Integrated Media -- Coin Hunting -- OMD Denmark Copenhagen (Denmark)

Outdoor
Bronze - Retail Stores, Restaurants & Fast Food Outlets -- Fry Lights -- Leo Burnett Chicago (USA)

Mobile
Bronze - Use of Multiple Screens or Networked Mobile Technology -- Pick N Play -- DDB Stockholm (Sweden)
Bronze - Products -- Pick N Play -- DDB Stockholm (Sweden)
Bronze - Best Integrated Campaign Led by Mobile -- McDonald's Coin Hunters -- DDB Copenhagen (Denmark) 

Promo
Bronze - Retail (including Restaurants) -- Hamburger Timetable -- DDB Warsaw (Poland)

Press
Gold - Restaurants & Fast Food Outlets -- Kids Birthday Parties -- DDB South Africa Johannesberg (South Africa)
Gold - Illustration -- Kids Birthday Parties -- DDB South Africa Johannesburg (South Africa)
Bronze - Restaurants & Fast Food Outlets -- McCAFE -- DDB Tribal Group Vienna (Austria)
Bronze - Copywriting -- Kids Birthday Parties -- DDB South Africa Johannesburg (South Africa)

About McDonald's

McDonald's is the world's leading global foodservice retailer with more than 33,000 locations serving approximately 68 million customers in 119 countries each day. More than 80 percent of McDonald's restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent local men and women. To learn more about the company's Olympic plans, please visit http://aboutmcdonalds.com/epk/2012LondonOlympicGames and follow us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/mcdonaldscorp) and Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/mcdonaldscorp).

Contact Information:

Contact:

Lisa A. Howard
McDonald's Corporation
lisa.howard@us.mcd.com
Office: 630-623-5044

Kendra Peavy
DiGennaro Communications
Kendra@digennaro-usa.com
Office: 212-966-9525

Matt Biespiel, Senior Director, Global Brand Strategy, McDonald's Corporation, opens up McDonald's Sixth Annual Creative Directors' Forum at Cannes