Filipino Gen Z champions inclusive queer representation, yet remains vigilant against tokenistic brand advocacies, with 56% feeling brands often get it wrong (UniDays).

Globally, McDonald’s values inclusion. In the Philippines, this value is translated into something even more local: malasakit, a Filipino word that loosely translates to “compassion”. This idea of empathy is well embedded in Filipino culture. With this, McDonald’s Philippines has always embraced inclusivity reflected in ways such as their hiring practices and advertising.

How can McDonald’s break through guarded Gen Zs and prove that it upholds and promotes inclusivity? How can it leave a cultural impact that’ll show how sincere McDonald’s is about the causes it stands up for?

The brand spotlighted a value close to the hearts of Gen Zs, yet most brands in the Philippines still skirt around - SOGIE (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity / Expression) inclusivity.

When other brands in the Philippines tackle queer love with overly-dramatic scenes, McDonald’s normalized it with a love story portrayed like any other relationship. Despite little to no promotions around its launch, it drew audiences in.

It shared a feel-good film that broke the chain of limiting queer stories to their challenges. A skater girl circles the Drive-Thru to catch the female Crew Member’s attention. The twist? They’re a couple. They share a sweet moment walking home hand-in-hand. The film, similar to the reality of queer love, was ordinarily beautiful.

Featuring a lesbian crew member as the lead also shows how McDonald’s supports everyone, whether customer or employee.

Taking it further, the brand tweaked its tagline from Love Ko ‘To (Lovin’ It) to Love Ko All (Lovin’ All) for the campaign. This made its commitment to inclusivity loud and clear, embodying a belief in love and acceptance for all.

While most brands overly-dramatize queer love, what Gen Zs truly want is for them to see it as it is - just two people in love. This is something McDonald’s has also long believed in as a brand that values inclusivity.

Centered on Gen Z’s who wanted sincere representation from brands, the PR strategy focused on authenticity with organic executions led by Gen Z’s as well as brand-led efforts showing McDonalds’ sincere support. These were done on both digital and non-digital platforms where Gen Z’s are active about LGBTQIA+ inclusivity:

● Launching ahead of Pride Month minimized rainbow washing calls. This allowed McDonald's to set the tone for the rest of the local Pride Month scene.

● Partnering with popular queer influencers and Gen Z-specific publishers who sincerely reacted to and related with the film

● Moving online to on-ground with an activation showed McDonald's sincerity

McDonald’s launched the film before Pride Month, avoiding rainbow-washing calls and setting the tone for local celebrations. It then launched on key platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter where it was organically reposted.

Knowing Gen Z was integral in this advocacy, McDonald’s partnered with queer influencers - who they trusted more than brands. They filmed reactions and involved their partners driving talkability, more organic traction and engagement,

However, McDonald’s knew that it needed to go beyond digital to show its commitment. The brand showed concrete support internally: top management voiced support, gender-inclusive e-signatures were introduced, a SOGIE webinar was hosted, and discussions with Pride March organizers enhanced workplace DEI.

It then transformed a store’s Golden Arches to rainbow arches which commemorated a sponsorship with the Metro Manila Pride March. The brand's booth also featured games inspired by the film. Here, employees and customers alike marched to say #LoveKoAll

McDonald’s broke through culture and the internet.

It resonated with Gen Z, sparking conversations. Trending for 12 hours on X and increasing social media conversations by 46%, the film garnered 123M views (59% organic) and 190M reach. Brand imagery scores soared among Gen Z, with +8.7pts for Innovative Brand and +6.8pts for Favorite Brand.

Fans created fan art, spreading the film's reach across platforms like Reddit, TikTok, and Discord. Despite conservative sentiments, negative reactions were minimal (7%), with some fans even defending the brand. Applauded at local Pride March events, the film became known as "The Sapphic Ad,"

Recognized as one of McDonald’s best campaigns in Asia, the success inspired further inclusivity efforts like bannering two openly gay celebrities in one of their biggest campaigns.

This inspired a shift towards more progressive narratives that portray queer relationships the same way Gen Zs saw it: just two people in love.