McDonald’s likes to make stars out of ordinary people.
On its bags and cups, it will soon feature a school bus driver and a kid who loves swimming. It also took two young people on a cross-country trip last summer to talk up its coffee and Snack Wraps.
And now, McDonald’s, in a first-time partnership with YouTube, is searching for another ordinary person. The one who, it deems, posts the most humorous, entertaining video on YouTube.com.
The effort is part of a stunt around the launch of McDonald’s new Honey Mustard Snack Wrap.
The Snack Wrap is being promoted with the tagline: “It’s your break.” And, so too, is the pitch for the hunt for the best video.
The pitch comes in a McDonald’s-branded video appearing this month on YouTube’s homepage. In it, a 20-something guy holding a Snack Wrap says the brand is about to begin the search for a great video. At the end, he tells visitors to “take a break,” grab a Snack Wrap and tune in to YouTube on Feb. 19 for the final result. He then takes a bite of his wrap.
“Your video could be front and center for the world to see,” he says.
Is McDonald’s now expecting YouTubers to go out and produce Snack Wrap videos to attract its attention? It says no.
It just wants to “give everyday people the unexpected opportunity to be ‘discovered’ on one of the most popular consumer Web sites,” says Darci Forrest, senior director-marketing, McDonald’s USA.
The top video will be featured on YouTube’s homepage as the largest video featured on the site, along with two McDonald’s banner ads.
But finding the most promising video won’t be easy. Each day, 65,000 people upload videos on YouTube and more than 100 million are viewed.
How is McDonald’s marketing the promotion? A Snack Wrap Channel page on YouTube features information about the program, videos under consideration and ways for users to connect with the Snack Wrap. Banner ads appear throughout the site. And a key word search on “McDonald’s” or “Snack Wrap” brings up the banner ads.
“We’re always looking for new and relevant ways to reach our customers,” Forrest adds. “Consumers are using new vehicles to access news and information and we want to be in those places.”
McDonald’s is also hitting the road with it new wrap.
A sampling blitz, including thousands of coupons, will be held at a number of major events in February and March across the country. Reps will be on hand at Spring Break in Miami and Panama City Beach, FL, the Mexican National Team soccer clinic in San Diego, CA, the CIAA Basketball Tournament in Charlotte and the Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco.
Fifteen- and 30-second TV spots will also support the launch.
The Snack Wrap is made with grilled or crispy chicken, cheddar jack cheese, lettuce and honey mustard sauce wrapped in a flour tortilla. Ranch, the first wrap flavor, debuted last year.
GMR, New Berlin, WI, will handle the sampling effort for the campaign. Golin Harris, Chicago, handles PR.
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