McDonald’s was the highest profile Olympic sponsor, but many people were not “lovin’ it”. A firestorm of criticism enveloped sponsors who were felt to be a bad fit with a sporting event, and London 2012 was dubbed “The Obesity Games”.
The brief was to drive affinity for the McDonald’s brand by making people feel good about its sponsorship of London 2012. (Ultimately, the aim was to increase sales, as affinity is a proven sales driver.)
We all make the Games
The campaign found common ground between a sponsor and an event seemingly poles apart by celebrating the values that London 2012 and McDonald’s shared: democracy and generosity of spirit. It shifted the focus from athletes to the people, recognising that The Games are a uniquely inclusive event where everyone has a role to play.
The key lay in new consumer behaviour. This was the first Olympics where people weren’t just watching: they were actively creating the narrative of The Games through social media.
Research told us that “The People’s Restaurant”, could credibly support this new behaviour with a participatory campaign. So We All Make The Games celebrated how everyone from Games Makers to McDonald’s crew to the great British public were all playing a part to make London 2012 the greatest show on earth. Superior media planning invited, curated and broadcasted content across platforms from The Sun to Piccadilly Circus to prove, not just say, that we all make The Games.
The campaign drove increases across all appropriateness and affinity measures, and changed the conversation, reducing negative and increasing positive buzz.
August 2012 saw McDonald’s UK’s biggest ever sales, with incremental growth of +1% beyond projections*.
The campaign delivered a short-term ROI of £6.06*, which is very healthy and in line with similar McDonald’s campaigns. Long-term return is expected to be even higher.
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