McDonald's ad campaign banks on a new payment method: love
During the Super Bowl, . The fast-food chain will be selecting 100 customers per store and giving them the opportunity to pay for their meal with acts of love.
From Feb. 2 to Feb. 14, between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., an estimated 1 million randomly selected McDonalds customers can opt to pay for their meal by doing such things as calling their mom to tell her they love her, doing a little dance, or hugging a family member to spread the lovin鈥�.
The commercial featured this form of currency with a montage of pleasantly surprised McDonalds customers 鈥渃hoosing love,鈥� encouraging employees and applauding bystanders. 听It sent the message that McDonalds appreciates community and family.
"We're really serious about lovin' our customers," Deborah Wahl, chief marketing officer at McDonald's USA, . "This gives us a chance to show it."
Individual stores will be giving out 35 meals the first day, 20 the next and then less then five per day for the duration of the contest except for Feb. 7. There will be 10 per store that day, .听
This newest commercial in the fast food chain鈥檚 鈥淐hoose Lovin鈥欌�� campaign has not sparked the controversy that the first 鈥淐hoose Lovin鈥欌�� commercial did, which is a good thing as the company is currently attempting to improve its public image and rebrand itself.
After the first 鈥淐hoose Lovin鈥欌�� commercial was released, McDonald鈥檚 was criticized for capitalizing on tragedy and appealing to a sense of community when its workers are so frequently tied up in labor disputes.
The new ad campaign comes at a time when McDonald's sales are slumping. Fourth quarter revenue was , though less steeply in the US. The fast-food chain has struggled with customer perceptions that it's offerings are "less healthy" than other similar outlets, and growing competition from other chains such as Smash Burger, Five Guys, and Shake Shack.
McDonald's also extended its Super Bowl goodwill advertising campaign on Sunday to Twitter. During commercial breaks听throughout the Super Bowl, McDonalds offered up over 50 giveaways to people who re-tweeted its tweets complimenting other advertisers.
The prizes up for grabs were tailored to each company鈥檚 product.
For example, McDonalds was giving away an XBox One and a 2015 Toyota Camry to those who re-tweeted its tweet about Microsoft and Toyota. Other giveaways were less literal. If you re-tweeted McDonald鈥檚 Doritos tweet you were in the running to win a suitcase full of Doritos and airline tickets 鈥� a nod to the .
"We want to engage in ways that are more relevant and more meaningful," Wahl told .
