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Campaign Description
As part of their multi-million dollar global sponsorship of the FIFA World Cup™, McDonald’s decided to change the iconic red packaging of the world’s most famous fries. Working with The Marketing Store, DDB helped create 12 new packaging designs – each representing a different artist’s passion for the world’s biggest soccer tournament.
But changing the packaging alone wasn’t enough for McDonald’s to create the news they wanted, or significantly drive sales of a core menu item. So DDB decided to use the packaging as a mechanism to launch McDonald’s customers into a ground breaking, never-seen-before app experience called McDonald’s GOL!. The app is downloadable from gol.mcd.com
McDonald’s GOL! is an augmented reality (AR) app that is triggered from any of the 12 limited-edition FIFA World Cup™ fry boxes. To play the full game, app users must purchase fries to get a FIFA World Cup™ fry box. Upon scanning a box, players are immersed into a soccer trick shot game in which they shoot, bounce, flick and kick their way to glory.
The game includes Qualcomm Vuforia AR technology that allows game players to bounce a digital soccer ball off real world items – meaning every player in the world can experience an entirely unique game. McDonald’s GOL! is the first time this technology has ever been commercially used.
Over the campaign time period McDonald’s GOL! will be available to play from 1.5 billion fry boxes in almost 120 countries. It is the largest AR experience ever created.
The game also gives players the chance to win and share badges, share their best goals via social networks, keep up with the latest news from the FIFA World Cup™ and show their skills for their own country.
With McDonald’s GOL!, for the first time ever, you don’t need to be a star at the FIFA World Cup™ to play for your country. The app allows everyone to show their skills and help their country win the trick shot title.
To promote the app we extended the idea of everyday people having amazing skills and created a long form online film (see below). The video will also be running as a 60 second TV commercial in limited McDonald’s markets.
Other media are also being used to promote the app. A series of 13 posters have been created to alert in-restaurant customers to buy fries, download the app and play for glory. Twelve of the posters celebrate the limited edition pack designs, while the thirteenth gives consumers a special hidden experience – allowing them to snap a picture of themselves standing next to the FIFA World Cup™ trophy.
The app and packaging will also be promoted via a series of social posts in over 70 McDonald’s markets around the world. These posts include both the download address, gol.mcd.com and a global hashtag #FryFutbol. This hashtag will act as a central point on the first day of the tournament (June 12, 2014) whereupon McDonald’s will have the world’s first globally promoted Twitter trend, accompanied by a promoted tweet.
The website and hashtag will also appear on the in-stadium perimeter boards during every game of the tournament, along with the app teaser film playing on the in stadium jumbotrons. Potentially reaching billions of people.
Press