‘Slice-of-life’ a Marquee Initiative Film by McDonalds

McDonald's India, owned and operated by Westlife Foodworld Ltd., has launched a new brand film. This third installment in the EatQual series offers a distinctive perspective on inclusion. It aims to highlight how specially-abled individuals lead their everyday lives.

The movie's subject is a young girl with restricted upper-limb motion. It showcases the girl going about her day, finishing everyday tasks independently, like brushing her teeth, getting ready for the day, tying her shoelaces, and so on. She doesn't let anything get in the way of living and carries out her daily responsibilities uniquely, like any other person. The film ends with her enjoying her favorite McDonald's burger in the specially created EatQual packaging with the same joy as her friend’s.

"EatQual will always remain the core inclusion platform of McDonald's India," said Arvind RP, Senior Director, Marketing and Communications, McDonald's India (West and South). With this new branding film, we wanted to underline that everyone has a different way of living, regardless of their specific talents. McDonald's has always been a positive brand where we work to spread joy and encourage diversity. With EatQual, we are continuously enhancing our dedication to making McDonald's India a genuinely inclusive brand.

Rahul Mathew, CCO, DDB Mudra Group, stated, "The lives of the differently abled are mostly viewed through the prism of what they can’t do." what brands can do for them. But we felt more happiness in honoring how they live their lives. "Additionally, how McDonald's may easily sway them."

Yogendra Shetty, Director General, the National Society for Equal Opportunities for the Handicapped (NASEOH), India, said, "People with upper-limb disabilities could lead more than normal lives." The primary cause that needs attention is making their lives easy. The Eat Equal Initiative, led by McDonald's India, has focused on the thoughtful needs that must be included to assist people with disabilities. "We must all work together to propagate the idea that individuality triumphs over disability."

McDonald's India launched the Eat Equal initiative in 2020 to provide seamless experiences for all of their fans, most notably an equal burger-eating experience. The Eat Equal app on the Play Store has been actively working for the specially-abled community for over 50 years and was designed in consultation with experts from NGOs. EatQual packaging was developed from extensive research among people with restricted upper arm mobility to understand their situation better when eating a burger.

In December 2022, the company worked with hundreds of children with special needs from the National Society for Equal Opportunities for the Handicapped (NASEOH), India, and the Association of People with Disability (APD), India, to enable them to enjoy McDonald's burgers in the EatQual packaging. The business continues to interact with disabled individuals via NGOs. Over the past three years, McDonald's has promoted inclusive dining with its EatQual campaign.