Recently, McDonald's in Germany launched a much-anticipated Ramadan outdoor advertising campaign: throughout Ramadan, its digital billboards are synchronized with the sun and do not display any food pictures during the day. They only display the classic McDonald's empty packaging box – the red French fries box is empty and the burger box lid is closed; when the sun sets and breaks the fast, the screen is "filled" with food in real time, and French fries and burgers appear instantly, accurately echoing the local prayer time.
The creative, called "Happy Ramadan," was developed by German advertising agency Scholz & Friends and aims to respect the Muslim custom of fasting from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan and avoid "disturbing" or "tempting" fasting people with tempting food images during the day. McDonald's Germany said that this move is not only a marketing innovation, but also a manifestation of cultural consideration – "We choose to display the food at the right time and accompany everyone to break fast when needed."
The event quickly became popular on social media, with many netizens praising it as a brand behavior that "truly understands respect", while others believed it reflected the business wisdom of "doing as the Romans do." Some discussions pointed out that the campaign has won advertising awards and sparked heated discussions in global marketing circles.
Germany has a Muslim population of about 5.5 million. During Ramadan, brands often launch special menus or promotions. However, McDonald's used a combination of technology and timing to transform respect into visual narratives, which can be called one of the most ingenious Ramadan marketing cases in recent years. Designs similar to the "empty box" are already running on digital billboards in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and other places, and the entire Ramadan will last until mid-March.
A spokesperson for McDonald's Germany said: "We hope this creative idea will make people feel that we not only sell food, but also understand and accompany the community every day."
