McDonald's banks on social media via online game campaign

Led by digital work, McDonald's fourth quarter campaign aims to increase interaction with the brand among a younger target audience.

Developed by DDB Group Hong Kong, the basis of the campaign is an online game entitled 'Burger battle’.

After purchasing a limited offer Shogun, McPepper or Ebi burger customers will be given a playing card, which gives them a code enabling them to play an online game. Here they can join a burger team (Shogun, McPepper or Ebi) and then claim an empty Hong Kong territory on an online map of the island. Players can challenge other player's territories by a game of scissors, paper, stone. Players who stay in the game longest stand a chance of winning prizes, including HK$200,000, Sharp TVs, Sony Ericsson mobile phones and adidas merchandise.

Each month a new TVC will be launched promoting one of the three burgers. TVCs and print ads running in local newspapers and magazines will direct customers to the online game. In-store activity will include burger-themed staff uniforms and burger clubs. A McDonald's outlet in Causeway Bay will be the first store to participate. The campaign will run for 16 weeks in Hong Kong and Macau. The initiative will also be advertised on Facebook. The creative team said they will “let the players take the campaign into other forms of social media themselves.”

Jeffry Gamble, ECD at DDB Hong Kong, said: "This isn’t the first time these burgers have been launched in Hong Kong, so we needed an idea that went beyond the traditional 30-second TVC to get consumers excited about the burgers and keep that excitement up for three months. We know our consumers like the products, so we wanted to create a platform where they can express their passions for them in a fun and engaging way."

Gamble added: "McDonald’s has never shied away from digital ideas; what they saw in this campaign wasn’t just the digital executions but how the idea came to life in every medium."

Anisa Tio, assistant marketing director at McDonald's Hong Kong, said: "From a business perspective, we needed a campaign that would unify three very different promotional burgers and build sales. From a communications perspective, we want consumers to not only enjoy the experience of eating McDonald’s food, but to engage and maintain their loyalty towards the brand."

Tio said McDonald's decided to lead with digital work as "it is an innovative and interactive way to lead a truly integrated campaign. Digital gaming has also proven to be a very effective platform to engage our target audience of young adults."

The first TV commercials, which go to air tonight, are available exclusively for Media readers.




Last month, McDonald's unveiled its first in-game advertising campaign for the Hong Kong market in conjunction with Microsoft Advertising.

In May, McDonald's promoted its 24-hour home-delivery campaign in Hong Kong, debuting a three-minute commercial on TVB with an accompanying push via print, radio, outdoor and online.