McCafé Azerbaijan – “mmm…” Launch Campaign
When McCafé was about to open its first location in Azerbaijan, our mission was clear: to deliver this exciting news to every coffee lover in the country. Coffee had become a highly competitive and rapidly growing sector in Baku, and introducing a new brand into such a dynamic market required a bold, emotional, and creative campaign.
McCafé Launch Campaign
Agency: DDB Azerbaijan
Client: McDonald's Azerbaijan
Creative director & author: Rahim Ismayil
Copywriting: Rahim Ismayil
Art director: Jeihun Kalashov
Photographer: Toghrul Gurbanov
Production: Time Studio
Published links
Solution
Campaign Concept: “mmm…” – A Moment of Pure Pleasure
We drew inspiration from that short yet powerful emotional moment one experiences while sipping coffee — a feeling of pure pleasure. The idea was to capture and communicate this very sensation. That’s how the campaign’s core concept and name were born: “mmm…”
Campaign Concept: “mmm…” – A Moment of Pure Pleasure
We drew inspiration from that short yet powerful emotional moment one experiences while sipping coffee — a feeling of pure pleasure. The idea was to capture and communicate this very sensation. That’s how the campaign’s core concept and name were born: “mmm…”
The campaign was designed in two stages: Teaser and Launch.
• In the Teaser phase, we deliberately avoided using logos or brand slogans. Instead, we displayed large visuals of people experiencing a moment of bliss, accompanied only by the word “mmm…” across more than 50 locations in the city, including digital screens and billboards. This mysterious approach sparked curiosity and anticipation—the public was intrigued and eager to find out what brand was behind it.
• To amplify the teaser, we introduced a smart digital solution: a custom Instagram filter. When used, the filter gently closed the user’s eyes and added a subtle expression of delight to their face, paired with the “mmm…” caption.
Through a collaboration with over 40 influencers, the filter and campaign spread widely across social media, generating more than 5 million views.
Results: 3x More Than Expected
The campaign exceeded expectations, achieving over 3 million impressions, three times our initial targets. The moment we launched the reveal phase, McCafé was instantly recognized by coffee lovers as “the new barista in town.” Most notably, we reached 70–75% of our target audience without spending on paid media.
TV spots and video ads followed the same emotional concept and quickly gained millions of views across platforms.
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