McDonald's New Salad Promo Has Consumers Seeing Green

For the first time in Oak Brook, IL-based McDonald's history, a piece of cutlery was being used as a promotional item. Predominantly green register toppers, lobby and drive-through posters, double-sided decals, table tents, tray liners, cups, bags and other indoor and outdoor signage accompanied the novel Green Fork campaign to announce the arrival of McDonald's Fruit & Walnut Premium Salad.Green, the icon of freshness, is the signature color for all materials promoting McDonald's latest menu addition. It is the color of a green apple, an ingredient in the new salad. The fork concept delivers a $1-off sampling incentive in an innovative way with less cost and more news value than a traditional product sampling program could provide, says Vicky Free, director of women's initiatives for McDonald's USA's marketing group. "Serving fruit at a quick-serve restaurant is not original, so we needed to launch the new item and create some buzz in a clear, simple yet striking way. By turning the fork green, by taking an existing P-O-P concept and turning it onto its ear, we were able to add a 'wow' factor to a traditional element that instantly triggers the news," says Free. "The Green Fork is an incredible marketing tool that combines with the other promotional materials' same green color and appealing food photography to awaken customers' senses, drive the drool factor and give them the desire to be a part of this new product."Free says, "For McDonald's as a brand, and for this particular launch, the P-O-P was the absolute critical element in achieving the successful results we see today." She notes that marketers mistakenly focus on a campaign's broadcast elements while treating P-O-P as secondary. "I believe you need to start planning P-O-P at the same time you make your advertising decisions. P-O-P is a deal closer; you need to give it the same level of strategic thinking, energy and creativity as television, or you'll miss a significant opportunity to close the sale," she asserts.McDonald's serves over 25 million customers a day in the U.S., a media experience that rivals NBC, FOX and UPN, she says. "We think of P-O-P in terms of media impressions, and with the huge amount of traffic we generate, P-O-P becomes a powerful communications channel for us."McDonald's Green Fork campaign served up in May and lasted through the end of July. Its concept was designed by Frankel of Chicago, an Arc Worldwide Co., with materials managed, procured, fulfilled and distributed by IMS, Morton Grove, IL. IMS' key vendors were Joliet Pattern, Crest Hill, IL; GFX International, Grayslake, IL; Buhl Press, Berkeley, IL; and Rapid Displays, Chicago and Union City, CA.New Fruit & Walnut Premium Salad was also promoted via billboards, bus kiosks, transit wraps and other signage, as well as animated national TV ads and McDonald's largest print buy ever for a launch, covering more than 30 multicultural titles.

P2PI MEMBERS

JOIN P2PI

You May Also Like

Talenti Highlights Flavor at Target

On Trend: The Plant-Based Food Wave