Global fast food chain McDonald’s is appointing U.S. based Starcom, part of France’s Publicis Groupe, as the company’s media agency partner in Russia following a review, Media Post reports.
“Our expertise and experience in working with clients to transform their data and digital practice, as well as our ability to apply that understanding to creative and media give us the confidence that Starcom and Publicis Groupe will drive meaningful business outcomes for McDonald’s,” said Vladimir Tkachev, CEO of Publicis Groupe Russia.
Sibling agency Leo Burnett has been a creative partner of McDonald’s in Russia for the past 11 years. The incumbent was OMD. The award is part of a market-by-global media agency review that McDonald’s has been conducting for over a year now.
The fast food chain remains popular in Russia despite the tense recent political relationship between the country and the U.S. One way McDonald’s has navigated this uncertain situation has been to center the chain locally. Last year, McDonald’s started using Russian-grown potatoes and a Russian factory to make French fries, the Wall Street Journal reported at the time.
In 2018 the company opted to retain OMD in China, the food chain’s fastest growing market and currently third largest market overall. The Omnicom Media Group agency has also been awarded Germany, while Starcom, part of Publicis Media, has won France. McDonald’s awarded both agencies parts of Latin America.
