• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, January 12, 2018

McDonald’s has selected Publicis Groupe, including Leo Burnett as lead creative agency, to handle its consolidated account in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region that includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. This is the first time the fast food giant has put its entire business portfolio in the region up for review, according to the agency.

Publicis Groupe said it implemented its “Power of One” strategy in presentations during the pitch.  In addition to creative, the remit includes strategic planning, media, digital marketing and PR services. Talent from Starcom, Sapient.Razorfish, Prodigious, MSL and Arc will be involved in servicing the account.

Commenting on the selection, Tarek El Kady, senior marketing director, McDonald’s Middle East & Africa, stated, ““McDonald’s vision of being a modern, progressive burger company required an agency model built especially for its requirements. We were looking for an agile partner that could break the barriers to efficient delivery of work across our consolidated business.”

Publicis had some tough competition for the business, noted El Kady, “but ultimately Publicis Groupe won because of its ability to transform its offerings into a solution required to take our business into the future.”