McDonald’s turns fries packaging into virtual reality football pitches for World Cup campaign
McDonald’s is kicking off its World Cup sponsorship campaign by redesigning its fries packaging globally for the first time that sees it transform the boxes into virtual reality football pitches.
Video: McDonald’s Gol app trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-T7zyezBkuY
The fast-food chain is replacing its iconic red French fries packaging next week (26 May) with 12 World Cup-themed designs from street artists. Each design activates the brand’s augmented reality “McDonald’s Gol” app when scanned, launching a virtual trick shot challenge.
The box itself appears as a goal, while other packaging such as a Big Mac boxes will appear as objects the player can move the ball around to help them score goals. Players can share their results on social media, while McDonald’s is keeping a running tally of each country’s overall performance.
Steve Easterbrook, senior executive vice president and global chief brand officer of McDonald’s, says: “This is the first time in brand history we’re changing the packaging design of one of our customers’ most favourite menu items on a global scale, and what better reason than to share in the excitement of one of the most prestigious sporting events in the world.”
The launch furthers McDonald’s push into the mobile space following the launch of a mobile coupon app and a click-and-collect service. The restaurant sees the channel as a key path to winning back younger customers who have moved onto rivals such as Subway and Nando’s. It hired its first chief digital officer Atif Rafiq last October to shape the digital drive around ecommerce, emerging platforms and multichannel marketing.
Rafiq adds: “Our digital vision at McDonald’s is to bring an entirely new level of everyday convenience and fun to the world, and our Augmented Reality app is just one example of how we are bringing fun to our customers’ lives.”
“We are very excited about the numerous opportunities in front of us to bring even more innovative digital experiences to our customers in ways only McDonald’s can do.”
Agencies The Marketing Store, DDB, Qualcomm Connected Experiences and Trigger developed the campaign.