The goal of this mobile app campaign was finally to offer an accurate and fair – in the eyes of the players - Monopoly promotion experience. There were two key issues regarding the game: reducing the producing and distribution costs for paper tickets that weren’t sustainable since people lost their faith in the game. The second big step for the company was to make a smooth and seamless flip from these traditional tickets in physical form to digital rewards, on mobile displays. The target audience was split into two categories: loyal client ages 16 to 35 with a skew toward men that play the promotion every year but they do not have patience and leave the game after the second week. The second category is called switchers meaning ages 16 to 35, with a slight skew toward women. This category is not interested in being loyal to one brand and switch from one to another in search for best deals and they were considered the biggest chance for McDonald’s to restore its reputation.
The brand addressed the issue of reliability and reputation – two assets McDonald’s should get back. So, the digital Monopoly version was successfully while the creative insight remained the same. The brand focused on displaying the prizes that could be won through the app. The app also showcased games to recreate engagement and draw back users. Also, the switch to digital promotions changed the way people played the traditional game. Users were allowed to scan or introducing a Chance Card code in the app and after that they received the possibility of playing a mini-game. It was also implemented a game board that noted down the scores and eliminated the need of using paper tickets. Once this need wiped out, the operating costs lowered.
The mobile app campaign reached its goals and it was the first move the brand made to improve its digital presence. The results were really impressive. The Monopoly app registered 2.5 million downloads across Australia and New Zealand, exceeding 4 times the target number.
The app was the most downloaded free app in the iOS App Store during the promotion period.
Even though for Romanian consumers, this scandal regarding the Monopoly Game at McDonald's wasn’t a subject for rumors or interest, there’s a whole hysteria with this game which was considered a scam years and years. Recently, in an article written on thebalanceeveryday.com last month this subject was debated: Is this game a scam or is this rigged so that only McDonald's employees can win the big prizes?
The annual Monopoly game at McDonald’s started in 1987 but the bad reputation started in 2000 after a real scam actually. Since then most of the users believed that the game had a hidden mechanism that stacked the odds against them. In a couple of years until now, the company tried to restore users’ confidence and now transformed its traditional play into a creative and engaging experience, integrating new ways to play. And win, this time!
