McDonald’s celebrates Big Mac’s 50th birthday, Mercedes apologises after quoting Dalai Lama: International round-up
Plus Whole Foods releases first campaign since Amazon takeover and P&G buys Kiwi skincare company.
Mercedes apologises after quoting Dalai Lama on Instagram
Luxury automaker Mercedes Benz has apologised to Chinese consumers after posting a quote by the Dalai Lama on its Instagram page.
The German car company quoted the exiled Tibetan spiritual guru alongside a “motivational Monday” tag and an image of a luxury car.
The quote read: “Look at all situations from all angles and you will become more open.”
“Start your week with a fresh perspective on life from the Dalai Lama,” the carmaker also wrote in the tagline.
The move touched a nerve with Chinese consumers who threatened to boycott the brand, prompting Mercedes Benz to issue an apology to the people of China.
Beijing has previously accused the Dalai Lama of leading a separatist movement, calling him a “wolf in monk’s robes” and accusing him of “spiritual terrorism”.
READ MORE: Mercedes apologies to China after quoting Dalai Lama.
McDonald’s revisits its roots for Big Mac’s 50th birthday
The Big Mac. It’s been a fundamental item on McDonald’s menu since it was rolled out in 1968 across the US before arriving in the UK in 1974.
To mark the occasion, McDonald’s is going back in time to celebrate 50 years since its introduced the popular burger via a 1970s-inspired advert.
The old-school styrofoam packaging even makes an appearance, giving eagle-eyed viewers a sense of nostalgia.
As part of the celebrations McDonald’s is also introducing two limited-edition burgers – the Mac Jr and the Grand Big Mac.
READ MORE: McDonald’s goes back in time to salute 50 groovy years of the Big Mac.
Whole Foods releases first campaign since Amazon takeover
What do you get when you cross a vegan with a paleo diet die-hard? Whole Foods’ latest campaign.
The health food grocer has released its first campaign since its $13.7b Amazon acquisition and it features a series of short ads which showcase the company’s in-store offerings.
From a bearded former vegan-turned paleo dieter addressing his meat cravings, to a dad loading up his shopping cart but forgetting the real reason he’s there is to buy diapers, the eccentric advert titled, ‘Whatever Makes You Whole’, is clearly targeted at an edgy young demographic.
It also features a woman abusing the free samples and a man on the hunt for cheese – aren’t we all.
“This campaign was really intended to move the brand to a much more human place but also have a strong nod to the individuality and diversity of everyone that loves the brand,” the company’s global vice-president, Sonya Gafsi Oblisk, says.
The new US campaign will run across TV, radio, digital and out-of-home.
READ MORE: A vegan goes paleo in wholefoods’ first campaign following Amazon acquisition.
P&G buys Kiwi natural skincare company
Procter & Gamble (P&G) has acquired New Zealand skincare company, Snowberry, which prides itself on using natural ingredients.
The deal means P&G has added another skincare brand to its portfolio which already includes SK-II and Olay.
P&G says it was drawn to the company because of its approach to using natural ingredients, a lot of which are grown at a plantation called Snowberry Gardens, located just north of Auckland on New Zealand’s North Island.
Both parties will not disclose the value of the deal, but sources suggest it is worth tens of millions of dollars.
Currently Snowberry mostly trades in New Zealand, China and the US.
READ MORE: Kiwi company snapped up by P&G in multi-million dollar deal.
Samsung launches campaign telling story of Malaysia’s first figure skater
South Korean electronics giant Samsung has released a new campaign just in time for the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, and it’s designed to tell the story of Malaysia’s first figure skater.
Julian Yee is depicted as a 2D animation named ‘Julian and His Magical Skates’ in the campaign, titled ‘Do What You Can’t’.
All animations for the two-minute video were done on a Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and show Yee going about his daily business while floating around on his ‘magical skates’.
Samsung Malaysia CMO Elaine Soh says the campaign illustrates that it is possible to defy barriers and achieve the impossible.
READ MORE: Samsung tells story of Malaysia’s first national figure skater Julian Yee.
