Social Media: OMD, McDonald's
Dec 1, 2008
How do you contemporize something as iconic as "two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun" and make it fresh for a new generation of Big Mac eaters? McDonald's and agency OMD decided the way to go was a campaign that stressed social media platforms such as YouTube.com, MySpace.com and MTV.
To celebrate the ubiquitous sandwich's 40th anniversary, OMD created an online contest in which Big Mac lovers put their own twist on the venerable chant with the winning video submission being featured in a national McDonald's TV ad.
To get out word about the contest, OMD also created a MySpace page and cemented a partnership with the then-new MTV show Friday Night MTV, a music video-centric series that, like the Big Mac, was trying to connect with a young demographic.
"This national casting call produced many fun, innovative renditions of the Big Mac Chant, and we are excited to have this fresh music twist to add to our national advertising," says Neil Golden, McDonald's chief marketing officer.
The campaign's buzz-worthy results back up Golden's enthusiasm. In all, 12,000 submissions were received, and the MySpace profile attracted more than 1.5 million page views, over 1.1 million unique visitors and 7,000 "friends."
For Mike Solomon, group director of digital for OMD, the campaign's success came down to three factors: the power of the Big Mac brand, the collaboration with OMD's media partners and the multi-pronged, community-centric nature of the effort.
"Our intention was well beyond just a user-generated contest," he says. "Our focus was to create unique experiences and content for all users to enjoy-whether they submitted their own Big Mac Chant rendition or not-from being able to watch music videos of well-known artists' versions of the Big Mac Chant to downloading ringtones of the actual winner's chant."
For more Buzz Awards Coverage coverage:
2008 Buzz Awards Winners
Millions Are Talking: Do you know who is creating the buzz?
Grand Prize Winner: McDonald's Brave New World
Event Marketing: ABC Domestic TV, Dr. Scholl's for Her
Online: Proximity Canada, Alka-Seltzer
Viral Marketing: Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, Adobe Creative Suite
Music: The Marketing Arm, AT&T
Outdoor/Out-of-Home: Butler Shine Stern & Partners, MINI Cooper
Print: Fallon Minneapolis, Sci Fi Channel
Radio: OMD, Visa
Reality TV: Mediavest Worldwide, Herbal Essences
Scripted Television: R&R Partners, Valley Metro
Social Media: OMD, McDonald's
Sports: Mediavest, Sprite
Wireless: Moxie Interactive, FOX Studios/Jumper
Integrated Campaign: Campfire, Verizon/a>
Public Relations: Coburn Communications and AARP
User-Generated: Catapult Marketing, Pedigree
Film/Movie: Davie Brown Entertainment, Mountain Dew
Buzz People's Choice Awards