TAIPEI: McDonald's Taiwan has rolled out a wireless campaign built
around electronic coupons offering discounts on food purchases.
It marks the first time that a fast-food company is using the mobile
phone as a key medium.
Touted as Taiwan's biggest wireless marketing initiative to date, the
campaign uses telecommunications provider Chunghwa Telecom's 5.5 million
base of mobile phone users.
Leo Burnett's local interactive division created the campaign, which
allows mobile phone users to download electronic coupons from McDonald's
newly-launched website at http://www.newtastes.com.tw.
The site features an online menu, ecoupons, online games, screen-savers,
wallpapers and the brand's television commercials.
Burnett's business manager, Jesse Lin, said: "Young people prefer
e-coupons over traditional coupons because they can download the
ecoupons whenever and wherever they like. Users can also forward the
ecoupons to their friends, making it a viral campaign."
McDonald's marketing manager, Eleen Hung, said the company is giving
wireless marketing a greater emphasis in its overall marketing
initiatives.
Several other wireless campaigns are in the pipeline for the coming
months with Taiwan's mobile phone subscribers expected to climb to 9.1
million by year-end, and about 6.7 million Taiwanese, roughly a third of
the island's population, using the world wide web.
Hung said: "The aim of the site is to create an informal eating outlet
on the internet. As the majority of internet users are teenagers, our
website provides different kinds of interactive activities."
She said the site would be updated quarterly, with new benefits
introduced at regular intervals.
