McDonalds sings ‘Las Mañanitas’.

To drum up attention to the fun and enjoyment of McDonald’s breakfast and coffee, the McDonald’s Co-Op for the New York Tri-State Area announced the launch of “Las Mañanitas,” a multimedia advertising campaign centered around the Mexican-originated song that is a musical staple of Latin American folklore.

The campaign, which will run in June and August, utilizes the “Las Mañanitas” theme to promote the offer of a free cup of McDonald’s Premium Roast Coffee with the purchase of a breakfast platter or handheld sandwich. The executions include one :30 TV, two :30 radio spots, as well as, print and out-of-home.

In addition to the revival of the “Las Mañanitas” song, the campaign is aided by the creation of an engaging comedic character, Yosí T. Informo, a TV reporter whose name is a play on words meaning “I Truly Inform You.”

Fashioned after the style and behavior of news reporters and the sense of urgency associated with them, Señor Yosí T. Informo walks into a McDonald’s restaurant to interview and mingle with customers. Microphone in hand, the jovial Informo not only gets everyone to opine about McDonald’s breakfast platters and coffee, but also finds himself in the middle of some spontaneous performances of “Las Mañanitas” by customers.

“We charged the agency with the task of bringing the McDonald’s breakfast experience to life and the free coffee promotion. They came back with the creation of the Yosí T. Informo character acting out his ersatz reporter persona in a fun way within the ”Las Mañanitas” concept,” said Jennifer Nagy, McDonald’s New York Region Marketing Manager, “ and the message clicked with humor and urgency.”

“The task allowed us to create a memorable campaign,” said Fernando Fernández, Chief Client Officer at d expósito & partners. “Marrying a well-known, iconic song such as ‘Las Mañanitas,’ with a likeable news reporter provided a lively way to tell the story from the consumer point of view.”

The d expósito & partners campaign for the New York Tri-State Area represents one of the various communications efforts on behalf of over 600 McDonald’s restaurants which comprise the region.