McDonald’s New Zealand

Rising concerns about obesity and globalisation have made McDonald’s the whipping boy for everything bad about the US and fast food. In New Zealand, in particular, where the government had declared war on childhood obesity, it needed to counter negative publicity.

As a major sponsor of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, McDonald’s also wanted to maximise its involvement, so with the help of agency RAPP New Zealand it came up with ‘My Greatest Feat’. This school activity programme encouraged children to count all the steps they took on a free pedometer and together undertake a virtual marathon walk of New Zealand.

The mail, email and online campaign snowballed and became the biggest physical activity project ever undertaken in the country with 94,000 children taking part. Their progress even attracted international media attention and McDonald’s brand trust scores took a big leap – illustrating how clever marketing and powerful advertising can reap big rewards for a beleaguered brand.