RISE - Menu Monitor

McDonald’s made an agreement with Safeway Inc. to sell the burger chain’s prepaid shopping cards in the supermarket’s
stores. Safeway will sell the Arch cards in 1,500 U.S. locations, including Dominick’s, Tom Thumb and Vons. (Company
Release11/14/06)
McDonald’s is targeting Catholic Hispanics with its Filet-O-Fish promotion. The company launched a multi-channel promotion,
including television, radio and in-store promotion, last week, coinciding with the beginning of Lent. It features dolphin vs. man
interactive games Ocean Commotion and Aquatic Tennis. (Publicatons.mediapost.com 3/1/07)
McDonald’s is planning to recreate its classic “Nothin’ but Net” ad spots with basketball players LeBron James and Dwayne
Wade. The chain is currently in negotiations with the National Basketball Association. The original ads pitted Michael Jordan
and Larry Bird against each other in a game of “horse,” with the prize being a Big Mac and fries. In those ads, the shots
became increasingly harder and more extreme. McDonald’s wants to update the ads with James and Wade to appeal to a
generation of consumers who have not seen the original version. (Advertising Age 4/16/07)
McDonald’s launched a promotion in Chicago featuring Cubs and White Sox baseball players to market the company’s new
line of iced coffees. Beginning the first week of May, McDonald’s will offer vanilla, hazelnut and plain iced coffees at 700 of its
units in and around Chicago. McDonald’s plans to advertise the drinks with ads on the public transit system, television spots,
ads at concert venues and ads on cocktail napkins in Chicago bars. The chain’s Chicago drink promotion is part of a plan to
turn it into a destination for drinks, not just food. McDonald’s is also testing bottled non-cola drinks and a line of cappuccinos
and lattes in a few restaurants. (Online.wsj.com 5/1/2007)
McDonald’s debuted a new campaign for its iced-coffee drinks in Chicago that features Chicago Cubs and White Sox players.
The ads can be found on public transportation, at concert venues, on cocktail napkins in area bars and in TV commercials.
The TV spots play off the rivalry between the Cubs and the Sox. The chain is selling the plain, vanilla and hazelnut iced
coffees at 700 outlets in Chicago. The beverages have been sold in New York, Boston, Seattle and other cities for a few
months. Other promotions have included displaying coffee mugs frozen in ice in Seattle and offers for free coffee at Boston
locations. (Wall Street Journal Online 5/01/07)
McDonald’s recently ran a promotion that centered on the “American Idol” TV program. The promotion featured Happy Meal
and Mighty Kids Meal toys based on the show. The toys included Starry Eyed Shades sunglasses, an MP3 song player, a Star
Guitar and Popstar Headset player, the Applause-O-Matic player and the Judgmental Mic, which plays four performance
critiques. As part of the initiative, McDonald’s ran a contest that awarded winners the opportunity to attend the show’s season
finale. (NRN Daily NewsFax 4/19/07; Chicago Sun-Times 4/19/07)
McDonald’s will focus on fruit, vegetables and milk in its promotion of “Shrek the Third.” The campaign will include Happy Meal
toys shaped like Shrek and promotions for salads, chicken sandwiches, sliced apples and lowfat milk. In the U.K. the chain will
also feature the “Shrek” image on packaging for foods such as carrot sticks, organic milk and fruit bags. In the U.S., customers
can purchase a 16-oz. drinking glass featuring one of the movie’s characters for $1.99. (Chicago Tribune Online 5/08/07;
UPI.com 5/08/07)
McDonald’s is launching its McDonald’s Champion Kids program as part of the chain’s tie in to the 2008 Olympic Games. The
program allows 300 children from around the world to travel to Beijing, where they will watch the competitions, meet the
athletes, tour cultural sites and share experiences. Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps will serve as McDonald’s
ambassador for the program. (QSRWeb.com 8/7/07; NRN Daily NewsFax 8/9/07)
McDonald’s My Scene Barbie promotion is under fire. The Campaign for a Commerical-Free Childhood is demanding that
McDonald’s stop the promotion, claiming that the scantily clad Barbie dolls send an unhealthy message to young girls.
McDonald’s has no plans to end the promotion, which runs through October 28. (Promo.com 10/18/07)
McDonald’s plans to announce the winners of its annual Monopoly game in Winner, SD. In addition, residents of Winner got a
chance to win free money at the town’s McDonald’s location when they stepped inside a booth full of a whirlwind of bills. Also,
McDonald’s teamed with local radio station KWYR to sponsor a McDonald’s and Monopoly trivia game. (Rapidcityjournal.com
10/23/07)
McDonald’s, Brach’s and Myspace are supporting DreamWorks Animation’s “Bee Movie.” McDonald’s is offering six “Bee
Movie” toys in its Happy Meals. The promotion includes a “cause marketing” element, in which McDonald’s and Conservation
International are encouraging children to take an eco-friendly “Bee Good to the Planet” pledge. The pledge, available at
McDonald’s Happy Meal website, encourages children to protect the earth. McDonald’s is also using television spots to
promote the movie, which is to be released November 2. (Promomagazine.com 10/24/07)
McDonald’s awarded more than $30 million in cash and prizes during this year’s Monopoly promotion. Two people each won
the top prize of $1 million this year. The in-store promotion ended October 29. An on-line version of the game, where entrants
can win gift cards and downloadable games, ends November 13. (promomagazine.com 11/01/07)
©Technomic Information Services 2007, CIS profiles may not be copied or distributed in any print or electronic format without a license or written consent.
Technomic believes that its sources of information are reliable, but does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy of the information
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