Discovery

McDonald's agency of record was tasked to find an interactive promotion company that had the system backbone and horsepower to manage millions of entries using the following three interactive methods - online, text message and telephone.

Objective

Provide a compelling promotion tied to the summer's biggest movie (Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest) and offer exceptional prizes to drive in-store traffic and ultimately increase sales during the summer months.

Solution

A Pirates of the Caribbean themed promotion was introduced to all McDonald's stores in the United States and Canada. The promotion was offered in English, Spanish and French and encouraged the purchases of Big Macs, large fries and large drinks. Containers for these products contained a peel-away label that had a unique PIN. This number could be entered online, by cell phone (via text message) or over the phone (via 1-800 number) for the chance to win instant prizes.

The superlative prize package included a mind boggling 28 car (Volvo) give away in the first 28 days of the promotion. In total, thousands of great secondary prizes were also awarded.

Results

Contestant response to the promotion blew away initial expectations. Each of the three entry methods used all had their own unique nuances and all were very well received by participants. Offering all three entry methods ensured that no one was left out of the entry mix.

Summary

The combination and power of the McDonald's brand coupled with the year's top movie resulted in a blockbuster promotion. Response rates went far beyond what was anticipated and the database and information collected during the promotion will serve McDonald's for future promotions.