This is a story about how McDonald’s used fried chicken to connect with consumers amidst an avalanche of “we are here for you” rhetoric during COVID-19 lockdowns.

We discovered via social listening that after locking themselves at home for a month, consumers had pent-up demand for something as unremarkable as fried chicken. And responded by turning Weibo – China’s Twitter – into a “wish-granting factory” for McDonald’s fried chicken. The moment a consumer creates a post with “fried chicken” on Weibo, McDonald’s account will comment and distribute free fried chicken coupon, leading the consumer to redeem on its WeChat mini app.

This 1-day campaign made fried chicken a catalyst of joy for millions consumers, increased sales and more importantly showed filling people’s need for fried chicken was as noble as any brand purpose in trying times.